Spring in Russia
by The Phoenix Feather
Summary: What if in your whole life you thought you belonged nowhere, and suddenly your whole point of view is changed? Second Fanfic! Pleease read and review. Complete now! First chapters may not call attention, but read through it all and you won't regret it.
1. Prologue

**I do not own Kaleido Star, nor any of its Characters.**

**Enjoy!!!**

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"_Papa__, __where is my mama?"_

_It was the first time his son had asked this question. He knew someday it would show up, but he never imagined it would be so soon._

"_Come here."He said, placing the little boy on his lap. "Why is that you want to know?"_

"_It's just... all the other children have a mama and I don't." The boy said._

"_Well, your mommy is in a far far away place, but she really loves you, and will always be with you. See, as an example, your middle name was your mother's." He said, touching his son's nose tip. _

_"Now, what is this in your knee?"_

"_Humm, it's nothing..."_

"_Doesn't look like nothing for me."_

"_Alright." The eight year old boy answered. "Some boys pulled me and I fell to the ground, and then I hurt my knee...They say I deserve it...because I am half Russian."_

"_I see..."Sadness filled the boy's father's eyes. "Listen; promise me you won't feel sad about it. Not all the Russians are mean. Your mother wasn't."_

_The child smiled._

"_Papa, are you doing that manoeuvre only for the Kaleido Stage?"_

"_To tell you the truth, I just wanted to attempt to that manoeuvre. That's all. When I've done it right, please give me a big hand."_

"_Okay."_

"_Aaron, it's time." Said one man of the staff._

"_I'll be there in a moment." He looked at his son. "After here, what about having an ice cream?"_

"_Great idea Papa!"_

"Father, don't go!"Yelled now a full grown up man.

_It was only a dream_, thought him. Yes, his father's death memories still haunted him, after all one was all the other had. After he died, Yuri Killian lived with his grandparents in Paris for some time, before coming back to the Kaleido Stage once more. He got up, trying not to wake up his sleeping wife, and went outside the house's balcony.

His childhood hadn't been easy. A half Russian living in America during the last years of the Cold War suffered a lot of prejudice from the other children, and even from adults. He couldn't recall how many times he was teased by other children at school and the teachers did nothing about it.

There he stayed, until suddenly felt something being thrown on his bare back:

"You know, it's not because we are in spring that it's hot enough to be bare chest in the middle of the night." The young woman said in a sleepy voice, while covered him with a quilt.

"Did I wake you up?"

"Not exactly, actually, to be more specific, I was _kicked_ out of bed." She giggled. "I never thought I would say this someday."

She really had changed after all.

"I see... hey you, little one, stop kicking your mother, will you?" He said, caressing her belly.

"Thanks for trying, but I am afraid this time was even stronger." She yawned. "Nightmare?"

"Kind of. Go back to bed...I'll be just after you."

"Guess I should. Good night Yuri."

"Night Layla." He said kissing her forehead.

Meanwhile, at the Kaleido Stage...

"Called us boss?" Sora, Mia, Anna, May, Leon, Rosetta and Marion came into the office.

"Yes. We've received an invitation to perform for a month in Moscow with a very famous Russian circus team: The Carnation Troupe and I were planning to send you there as soon as

possible, but we would need a translator, which I have tried to find everywhere, and unfortunately, I didn't."

"I know!!!! Yuri-san could help us!" Marion answered.

"We would have to make a stop in France for that." Mia remembered.

Kalos had sent Yuri to France for one year to research new routines after the last Christmas.

"Yes! Let's visit Paris and drag Yuri with us to Russia!" Said May.

"And we will also meet Layla there, no? Didn't Cathy send her there to research new choreographies?" Added Leon.

"Well, I guess then his reports can wait for a while." Kalos agreed. "Okay guys. I'll call him later."

"No boss. Let's surprise them!!"

"Alright then. I'll provide the airplane tickets."


	2. The Request

**Well, as I said before, I do not own Kaleido Star nor any of its characters, only Ms. Maryann, The Carnation team and others to come!!**

**Enjoy!!**

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The flight to Paris took tiring 9 hours, but after all they arrived.

"Bonjour, Paris." It was the first time Marion had been to Paris, and she was really astonished. "It is so big here!!! I wish Jonathan could have come."

"Marion, I am sure he is fine there in Cape Mary."

"I hope so..." Said the girl. "How are we going to find them in this huge place???"

"Kalos has provided me the address of his place." Mia told them.

"Let's get moving then! The connexion flight to Russia is tomorrow morning, so if we don't find him today we will have to make it without a translator." May answered.

They didn't have difficulties to find how to get to Yuri's house, after all, Leon had been born and grown on the city of lights, and knew every street, avenue and plaza as his own hand.

As they reached the determined location, they realized the main door was locked. Some knocks later, a voice was heard from the next door house:

"_Si vous êtes à la recherche de M. Killian, je crains qu'il ne soit pas à la maison."_ They turned back and saw an old woman watering her garden.

"What did she say?" Everyone turned back and stared at Leon and Rosetta, the only ones who could speak French fluently.

"She said that if we are looking for Yuri, he is not home." The Belgian answered, while the French had already started talking with the ancient woman.

"_Si vous êtes ses amis?"_

"_Oui. Savez-vous où il est?"_

"_Je ne sais pas..."_ the woman replied. "They said they were coming back soon." She kept the conversation in fluent English. "I am sorry, my name is Maryann; I thought you also spoke French, just as he and his wife do..."

"Did you say wife?" Asked Anna.

"Yes, that sweet lady, Layla. Oh I am sorry. Looks like I am getting older and impolite. Come in." She opened her house door.

The house had a European style, but still, its decorations were surprisingly very American. The woman told the circus artists to wait at the living room while she would make some tea with biscuits. There were various pictures hung all around the room, presumably depicting her family.

"Hey!" Marion shouted, pointing at one of the portraits. "It's mommy and daddy over there!"

The picture showed some people in the front of their well-known stage. Most of them could be recognized: Kalos, Sarah, Marion's parents, two or three workers from the staff, and among them, an unknown man with a little boy on over his shoulders.

"I see you've found your place in the photography huh?" The woman said, while serving the tea.

"Yes, those are my mother and father over there."

"Oh, you are Cynthia's daughter!! Now I know the reason why you looked so familiar! You are just like her!"

"Did you know my mother?"

"Of course! My son was an acrobat and also one of the founders of the Kaleido Star Circus. See, he is over there with my grandson." She took the portrait from the wall and put it onto her knees.

Tears filled the old woman's gray eyes.

"What happened?" Sora asked.

"I am sorry." She said wiping her tears. "I've held those for so long."

"He also di..."

Leon couldn't finish his question, when all of them heard the door opening.

"Grandmamma, I've brought the croissants you asked yesterday." A male voice with a strong Russian accent echoed through the corridors. The childish way he spoke conflicted with his voice tone. "Where are you?"

"Portraits room, my dearest. Can you put them in the kitchen please? After you've done that come here please."

"Sure."

"Surprise!!!!" They shouted as he placed himself at the room door.

"Hey guys...what are you doing here?" He questioned. His grandmother's house was the last place he would imagine to find his old companions.

"Where is Miss Layla?" Sora and May asked in unison.

"She is resting a bit at my house. She is coming here later."

"Resting doesn't sound much like her...or I must say, like your wife?" Answered Leon.

"Who tol... grandmammaaa?"

"What?" She spoke. "It's not my fault if you hide things from your friends... and if you all want to know more, she is also..." She made a pause, and stared at her grandson's deep violet-bluish eyes. "Well, I think I've told you a lot already, ask him yourselves."

"Hum... you didn't tell me why you are here yet. Let's do an information trade then."

"OK. We are here because we need your help." Sora began. "We were invited to work with a Russian circus troupe for one month, but none of us speaks Russian, and Kalos couldn't find a translator, so we thought that you could come with us."

"Humm that will be a problem, right?" Ms. Maryann looked upon Yuri's gaze.

"I wish I could help you..."

"For God's sake Yuri, if you are not telling them I will."

"Layla is seven month and a half pregnant. Satisfied grandmother?"

"Indeed I am, thank you grandson."

Silence. Uneasy silence.

"But, that doesn't make sense... you've been here for only five months, unless..." May started being interrupted by Leon.

"You had a lot of fun at the party that was coincidentally seven months and a half ago, didn't you?"

"Don't bother me Oswald." The blond rose up from the sofa.

"Am I doing so Killian?" The French did the same.

"Hey you two won't fight here right? Calm down and solve the matter as people, not animals." Marion shouted.

"Now look where did you two get! Being scolded by a little girl, don't you feel ashamed?" The sapphire eyed woman entered the room. "Good afternoon, Ms. Brass."

"I've already told you can always call me grandma dear."

"I'm sorry. I just can't get used to it." She smiled. "Afternoon everybody, what are you doing here?"

"Afternoon Miss Layla." They all said.

After some hours she knew all about their situation.

"...and that's all." Mia finished.

"We are going." The blonde answered.

"No Layla, we are absolutely not." Her husband answered, glaring at her. He wasn't typical to glare, but every time he did, she had to admit, could drop one dead. "At least not with you this way."

"Yuri, I am just pregnant, not sick or dying." She glared back.

"Hey hey, will both of you stop glaring to each other or it is too hard?" Maryann said. "And for your information son, I have travelled to France one month before your father was born, so I see no problem..."

"Grandmother, I am not a child anymore. I think I can make my own decisions. And my answer is no, sorry everyone."

"Yuri..."

"It's alright Miss Layla." Sora said. "We don't want to cause you any problems. Well I think we should go back to the hotel, it's getting late and we have a plane to catch at 5o'clock, but thank you anyway."

"Sorry guys." She answered.


	3. Welcome to Russia

**I don't own Kaleido Star, nor any of it's characters... I own only the Carnation Troupe, Annika and Her sister.**

**Thanks for reading.**

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Disappointment. Yes, they now were heading to an unknown and lost place among the cold land of Russia without anyone to help them localize themselves. How would they make it? Learning quickly? Impossible, the Cyrillic alphabet used by Russians is like a sea of symbols beneath their eyes.

They were already at the check-in, when they heard a known voice:

"Hey, where are our tickets? We need them to go on!"

"Layla-sama!" Sora ran and hugged her former mentor. "But how did you?"

"Let's say I can be very persuasive when I want to..." She winked. Ms. Maryann came after her grandson, together with another friend of hers.

"Listen now everyone." The old woman began. "I want all of you to enjoy your journey." She came closer to Yuri. "Take care little boy." She said caressing her grandson's head.

"I will grandma."He answered.

Then she headed to Layla. "You also take care dear! I want to meet my great grandchildren!"

"I will...grandmother." She smiled as the woman gently placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Ahem... We have to board in." A bad humoured Yuri called out.

He couldn't believe he had fallen for that trip, but there he was, in an airplane seat, between little Marion and Layla. Weird thing for so many people coming back to your birthplace would be something to long for, but he wasn't at all excited. He was happy in France with his paintings, his lovely wife, his child to be born and his researching, and more than that, he had found his place... but fate plays tricks.

_A dark night, illuminated only by a few light poles scattered around the streets, with white snow everywhere. A smiling little boy played with his father. Apparently they had just left a circus. Happiness suddenly turns into worry. Military dressed people all around the place. Both father and son are dragged into a Russian military helicopter already filled up with many scared people. The three-year-old child is also frightened and buries his face onto his father's chest. The general takes a medallion away from the boy's hand and closes the aircraft door. Nowhere to go or to hide. The lights went out._

"Wake wake...we are preparing for landing" A sweet female voice whispers on his ear. _Back to earth_,he thinks. Those dreams were getting more and more frequent.

"Already?" He answers still sleepy, sitting properly on his seat.

"Yes, Sleeping Beauty." The girl at his other side says laughing. "Wow it's really beautiful here!" Her face close to the airplane window.

"A pity snow is already melting...Otherwise it would be even more." Rosetta added.

As they left the airplane and picked up their luggage, at the airplane boarding room exit stood three women and one lad holding a sign written Kaleido Star.

"Вы из Kaleido этапе?"

"Yuri?" Everyone stared at him.

"Да. Вы с гвоздикой команды?" He answered to the woman.

"I see only you speaks Russian." One of the three girls winked. "There is no problem...We all speak English too." She had a strong British accent when she spoke in English, but her Russian was perfect. Dark brown shoulder-length wavy hair and emerald green eyes stared at them behind the blue framed eyeglasses. "My name is Elizabeth Louise Petrova Rosethorn and these are my friends Lara, Domino and Stellan."

Lara and Stellan Lagerfeld Boryshnov were half German and half Russian twins. Both had straight black hair and dark blue eyes, while Domino Sharapovskaya Cherryfield was half British, half Ukrainian. She had gray straight hair and gray eyes, resembling a lot Leon's deceived sister, Sophie.

"Shall we? I am so tired of waiting." The gray eyed impatient woman headed to the car.

Most members of The Carnation Team were only half or not Russian. As they got to the huge place where the artists were set and trained, they saw a young man rush from the door.

"Forget it, she is impossible. I can't deal with her at all, and I can't imagine one that will." He shouted.

"Annika..." Lara whispered.

"Wait... Oh, you are here already. My name is Anya Osipova and I am the main director of the Carnation Team. Come in...Girls, show them everything and I'll be back soon."

At their trapeze room door stood a 16 year-old girl. She had dark blonde short curly hair and violet-gray eyes and had her arms crossed over her chest.

"What happened this time?" Stellan questioned.

"Another stuck-up ridiculous performer that is trying to replace Domminick...but as always, his performance was pitiful." She stared at her nails. "Hmm so we have guests...Annika Kravchenkova, nice to meet you."

"He is not trying to replace me, the show has to go on and you need a trapeze partner until my leg heals." A boy with gray hair and black eyes answered.

Domminick was Domino's two years younger brother, and although he was only sixteen, he was almost as tall as Yuri himself. Two days before he had broken his leg during a training section, and ever since they were trying to find another acrobat that could fill on with the perfectionist Annika's expectations.

"Annika and Domminick are our main trapeze artists." Elizabeth explained.

Annika examined the two Kaleido Star male artists carefully before proclaiming her next statement:

"They are not as hot as you three girls said they were." The three eighteen year old Carnation Team integrants blushed red as she finished. "What?" She smiled playfully and winking.

"Пора Сестра." As they looked back, a gorgeous woman had entered the room. She was almost 6 feet tall and wore her long platinum blonde hair pinned on a braid and had pale white skin and lilac coloured eyes.

The young trapeze artist ran close to the woman. "Already?"

"Depends. Do you want mother to figure out you were here? I don't think that will be good..."

"Hmm... okay."She answered saddened, revealing once more that behind that coat of bitterness she was still a teenager. She went closer to the black eyed artist at the benches. "Get better soon..." said kissing his cheek.

And so they left.

"Dinner is almost ready!" Ms. Osipova called out. "By the way, have you shown them their rooms?"

"Err...ahem; let's see your rooms... Sorry with all that mess about Annika and the partners we completely forgot to show you!" Stellan says. "But your luggage is already there."

"It's alright." Always happy Sora answers." By the way, who was that woman today in the afternoon?"

"Lena Kravchenkova, Annika's three years older sister. She is a piano player at the International Orchestra."

"That's right! I knew I had seen her somewhere else!" Mia told them. "She is known as the piano genius. At five she could play the whole Beethoven collection without any mistakes. People say she could play even before she had learned to talk."

"Yes, she is really amazing...a pity she almost never comes here." Sadness filled the lad's eyes.

"What's the thing about their mother?" Layla asked.

"Well, I don't know much...I just know that their mother doesn't allow them to have contact with circus artists...so Annika trains secretly, and her sister helps her covering it."Lara answered.

"What is a pity, because she has talent, actually, both of them have."Stellan began. "Further than only a piano genius, Lena has also amazing trapeze skills."

"I've told you already the rhythm lies on their blood haven't I? Their mother was the first ballerina of the Bolshoi at her time." Ms. Osipova commented, taking a picture out of a drawer. "See? That is her over there, in the middle."

The woman had also platinum blonde hair and pale green eyes. Probably the plot was the Swan Lake judging by their clothes, and she should have been Odette. She wore a necklace with a shining emerald craved as if the eye of a silver swan.

"She stopped dancing after her second daughter was born. Svetlana used to be so vivid and happy, but when I saw her teaching at the Bolshoi she looked so sad, so icy, as if something had broken inside her."

"Hmm, poor them." Marion said.

After dinner they all went to their respective rooms for they would have a full day tomorrow.

"_Pisces is enfolded by a haze of confusion and darkness, which not even Leo can penetrate. What troubles your mind, Ice Angel?"_


	4. The Kravchenkov's

**All the same.**

**This chapter is clearly shorter than the others...**

**Enjoy!!!**

And pleaseeeeeee...

**Review??**

Okay... now I sound like a begging puppy that wants a treat...That wasn't my intention...

Anyway...

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In the evening at a majestic house built following clearly medieval style, melodic sounds could be heard from a room in the second floor. The orchestra melody was interrupted by the entrance of a lady.

"How was your day, дорогой (dear)?"

"Great Мать(mother), thank you." The girl put down her violin on a table and ran to greet her mother. The typical Russian greeting for women and all the same for men was three kisses and a hug.

"What about you Lena?" She stared at her daughter at the piano. Once the woman had started playing she wouldn't stop before she had reached the end of the symphony.

"Well. By the way, did that student of yours learn how to pirouette correctly?" She answered as with no difficulty at all made Pour Elise echo though the place.

"She still can't be compared to some of the others, but she did progress."

Mrs. Svetlana Kravchenkova had always been very demanding to her pupils as well to herself, and both her daughters had inherited that characteristic.

"Mommy, mommy! Did you hear that the Carnation Troupe has invited some artists from a circus called Kaleido Star to take part at this month's show?" A little boy rushed into the room.

Andrei was the youngest Kravchenkov child. He was red haired and had his mother's eyes.

"Daddy has allowed me to go! Can I, can I? Please, please, please?"

"If your father agrees on taking you there I allow."

Her husband entered the place. Grigory had flaming red hair as his son's. He caught an unpleasant glare from his wife. Then he looked at his son:

"I think I can take you fortnight on Sunday."

The nine-year-old grinned broadly and hugged his father and mother.

"Le and Anni are coming too? Right?"

"I'll have loads of homework to do, and I also have to practice a new song on the violin, so I'll pass..."

"Lee?" The child clanged to his sister's arm.

"Your sister can't go."Their mother answered shortly. "She will be playing the Swan Lake at Sunday class."

"You've heard her..." she released from her brother's arms.

The door opened, revealing the figure of one of the secular family many maids. They descended from one of the eldest families in Russia through their mother's blood.

"Milady, the dinner is serviced."

"Thank you. Go children, I'll be there shortly."

The three went down to the dining room. She was staring at the silver shining moon above them from the window. In other time she would have loved this sight, but surely not today.

"How long are you planning to endure this situation? The girls are already grown up enough..." His icicle blue eyes sparkled as the moonlight illuminated them.

"As long as I think it's necessary to keep it like that."

If there was something she hated was interference in her plans. Everything had been just perfect the way it was, until now.

Fortunately, she could act as no one else.


	5. A Difficult Night

_**I've finally finished it!**_

_**Sorry for taking too long, I had the school factor and the writer block factor this time...**_

_**Probably during this holiday I may begin writing (and probably post) the sixth chapter...**_

_**For your appreciation: The Jericho (Iron Man interference!)XD**_

_**Just Kidding, Enjoy!**_

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The dim moonlight went through the windows of the Troupe's building. He stared at the moon. He could remember the nights he couldn't sleep and religiously went over to his father's room and woke him up. Then, Aaron would hold him over his shoulders and they would both head to the living room where there was a music player. His father would go over to the disc case and pick up Claude Debussy's Claire de Lune or Pour Elise by Beethoven. He couldn't master why, but every time he heard those songs he felt a weird comfort sensation... then they would both stare at the moon for some time and he would sleep and always wake up on his bed. Ah good times were those: nothing to worry, just innocent and peaceful childish life. Well, childhood unfortunately goes by, he thinks.

"Couldn't sleep?" Mrs .Osipova says entering the room.

"Hum..." He was driven out of the trance.

"Could you do me a favour?" The Russian stared at him.

"What is it?" He answered yawning.

"If tomorrow Annika rejects other partner, will you please try to fill in the gap?"

"Okay, but may I ask... why me? Why not Leon?" He wondered.

"Leon already has a partner, and you do not at the moment. Anyway it wouldn't work out. Their personalities don't match, and as I've heard, you have some experience with stubborn and headstrong partners."

Indeed, he had so much experience that he ended up marrying her.

"Alright, I'll try. But I seriously doubt she will accept."

"Off you go now... you have to be well awoken tomorrow." The woman tapped his back.

As he went up the stairs, in the corridor that led to the room which they were designed to, he saw that one door was a bit opened and light flowed through the small gap. Suddenly he heard one of the girls inside screaming "No, please! Have mercy!" He opened the door and found himself staring at Lara, Domino and Elizabeth that were playing Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii.

"K.O Liza!" Domino shouted pointing triumphantly at the other girl.

Their room was absolutely amazing: The walls were covered up with shelves filled with books and games. Another wall had a Nintendo Wii, a Playstation 3, a PSP, an Xbox 360, a computer with a tablet, three Nintendo DS and a TV. There were three wardrobes, three beds and a sofa. Without mentioning one of the beds was covered by numerous and very colourful plushies. You could even wonder if you were actually in an electronics section of a big store.

"Do you reckon what time is it for you to be shouting out loud like that? You are not children anymore. Go to sleep."The trio blushed instantaneously at the sight of the shirtless Russian.

"So Mr. Perfect, tell me why aren't you at your room?"Domino had always had quickly responses, to anything. "And you can't go out ordering everyone what to do like that. Who do you think you are? My father? My older brother? When you have kids you can order them anything, but not us."

"It wouldn't change much; you never obeyed your dad anyway..." Domino glared at the defeated girl.

"Does Princess Zelda want to die...? Once more?"

Playing video games the three eighteen-year-old seemed as five year old children discussing. He watched them a bit and decided to leave.

"Alright then... Good night..."

The girls stared at each other and with a grin answered in a choir "Night daddy!"

He now headed to his room. He tried to open the door slowly not to make noise, but anyway it had been too late, she was already awake.

"Would like me to buy you some sleeping pills?" She said seriously staring at his violet-gray eyes.

"I don't think sleeping pills can cure nightmares..." He laughed.

She stared at the man in front of her and then smiled. "Awwn... do you need a hug?" she said stretching her arms.

"Who are you and what have you done to my wife?" He accepted her embrace, and laid his head over her chest. "Tomorrow I'll behave, I promise!"

"Silly..." She grinned. "Didn't your mother teach you never to promise what you can't keep?" Her fingers caressed his pale blonde hair. "You've never told me anything about her."

"No...That was a strong kick, huh?" Yes, right where his cheek was now placed.

"Do not walk away from the subject Yuri Killian, why don't you ever tell me anything so I can help you?" The once gentle caressing turned into an annoying glare.

"Welcome to my world. Night, both of you." He said closing his eyes and turning his back to her questioning eyes.

"Heard your father." He felt her golden hair touching his face as she kissed his cheek and whispered "Night then, I mean, morning, right?"

_Weird. Now what is going on here? _She couldn't stop wondering. No one could possibly hide anything from her, and he surely (and especially) wouldn't be any kind of exception.

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_**I am pro criticism if it brings improvement!**_

_**Thanks for reading and see you soon!**_


	6. The Amazing Young Performer!

**Sorry for the delay, school is killing me... tests again...**

**Here you are, enjoy.**

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After lunch, the whole Kaleido staff gathered at the trapeze training room. Sora and Leon wanted to test the trapezes, but Annika was already there. So they kept watching. For the first time it had been considerably hard for Yuri to describe a performance. After three years as a judge at the admission tests at Kaleido Star he thought he had seen everything and could see the plot behind each movement with certain accuracy, but nothing had prepared him for that. Not that she was bad. The problem was exactly she seemed to be too experienced for a sixteen–year-old. Her movements were exact and fast as she easily disqualified another possible partner.

"Too slow, sorry dear. How can you act by my side if you can't even catch me?" She said bowing down. "Was he the last one? I am tired of this... unless you give me someone that can act properly I won't try it anymore."

"You are being too hard. This last one was good." Her injured partner told her.

"Ok...ok... Anyone else? " She was looking at a wall as proffered those words. Yuri caught a look from the main director. Yes...unfortunately he couldn't break a promise once he had made it, even if he had been half asleep when it happened.

"I'll take your challenge then, of course, if you don't mind." He rose from his chair as the teenager got dumbstruck for a few minutes. Not only her, after all no one expected such a reaction from him.

"Okay champion... let's see what you are made of!" The Russian girl winked. "As you are a veteran, I won't waste your time with simple performances; let's go directly to the main course." She took a sip of her glass of water.

Simple performances? Yes, those could be simple combinations for a veteran like him, Leon, Layla or even Sora, but surely not for a girl that probably had never left her country for any circus events, she was training in secret for god's sake! He used his all time simple answer:

"As you wish."

She went up the ladder that leaded to the trapeze opposite to his, then quickly grabbed the bar and started swinging faster and faster. He made the same, easily synchronizing his movements to hers, but really he didn't know exactly what to expect from her. She just shouted from the other side "Catch me then!" and turned her body in a way that she stayed with her back turned to him. She jumped in a series of gracious backwards mortal jumps and somersaults. At that moment, her older sister entered the room. She glimpsed at the trapezes and headed to Mrs. Anya.

"Is she trying to do what I think she is? In a test?" the older woman stared at the younger's lavender eyes.

"If you are talking about the Dragon's flight, I suppose so."

The Dragon's Flight. She remembered the first day she had laid her eyes on that routine. It consisted of a series of backwards movements in which one of the involved, specifically the one who had to do almost all the moves couldn't see the partner. It was already dangerous if both knew what all was about, even more if one of them had no idea of what was going on! _Crazy child..._Lena thought.

Annika's movements were getting faster and faster, and the worst thing was that she was getting more far away from him at every single one.

"_Listen. We boys tend to be charged with the responsibility of catching our partners during most manoeuvres." The man said, jumping in one of the many trampolines in the room. He was followed by a young boy._

"_We just have to catch them? Then it's easier for us, we don't have to do many things!" The little child grinned as he jumped. "Right?"_

"_Not always...Jump higher, you've got to develop strength to jump and reach the trapezes."_

"_Why not?" His violet eyes seemed incredulous as he tried hard to keep up with his father, jumping higher and higher._

"_What if your partner doesn't know where you are, what if you are acting with such dim lights that you see her but she can't see you, and she can't synchronize with you?"_

"_Hum...I try to synchronize with her?"_

"_Right. What if she goes too far away from your trapeze? Suppose her last somersault reached only the middle of the gap between you both." The man headed to one of the ladders._

He would swing harder, leave the bar, catch her and try holding the other bar. Simple as that, he just had to calculate the exact moment. But there was no time. Her mortal jump series had leaded her almost out of the protective net boundaries and she was going down and down. It was now or never. He let go of his bar and reached to one of her arms pulling her close as they both crashed onto the net.

"Are you alright?" He asked, as he realized her pale face and hard breathing. He could feel she had been as frightened as him. After all who wouldn't? But he also saw a trace of disappointment in her eyes.

"You've caught me...You won." She said recomposing herself. He offered his hand to help her down the net but she didn't accept. He had undoubtedly hurt her ego. "I can do it by myself."

"Do you want to kill yourself or what?" Her sister blocked her way. "You knew this had never worked out, and you want to try it in a test?"

"Lena." She laid down her eyes to the floor. She always did when she knew a reprehension was on its way.

"Do you reckon how reckless was that?"

"Nothing happened alright?" The younger shouted.

"Well it could have! What if you got hurt or died? I would never forgive myself for allowing you to do it!" She shouted even louder. "And also, Domminick wouldn't be this way if you hadn't tried this out!"

"Shut up okay! You look like mom talking!" The girl cried, dashing through the doors.

"Let her go." Lena prevented her sister's partner from following her.

Yuri went out to the balcony, from where he could see Annika running to the garden. Sure he never meant to let her down, but she would have been seriously wounded if he hadn't caught her. He heard footsteps behind him.

"Let me guess, you are mad at me?" He kept staring at the many sunflowers and roses that were grown round the house.

"No, I am not; I just think you should have told me... It was too much of a sudden. Is she down there?" Layla moved her eyes down to the flowers.

"Yes... She will take some time to recover, I guess. Lena was a bit harsh to her."

"Sora is going down there, she is sure to cheer her up. That is what she does best. By the way... her sister's behaviour reminds me of someone I know..." She now gazed upon the trees at the streets.

"Yes, who ?" He took her on an embrace.

"Nobody special... I am feeling a bit cold, can we get inside now?"

"Alright then..."


	7. Annika and other Memories

**Here is the seventh chapter for your appreciation. **

**Thank you all for reading!**

**I guess now is the time I should ask you to gather details...**

**For those who like Layla's harsh behaviour... I'm sorry but I couldn't resist... although she is one of my two main favourite characters (guess the other one XD)**

**But keep calm, she will be back soon the way she was.**

* * *

Annika ran as fast as she could, hiding herself among the sunflowers in the garden. She had never been so humiliated in her whole life. Okay, she shouldn't have underestimated his abilities, but she also didn't expect he would catch her. She couldn't master her feelings: in one side she felt relieved he had caught her, otherwise she probably wouldn't even be here. But in the other hand, she felt angry and sad she had not been able to come back to the net on her own and had to accept the failure. She had never been good concerning that kind of matter. As soon as she heard footsteps approaching, she stopped crying:

"Annika, are you alright?" She heard a different voice from the usual. "Can I sit here?" The woman asked, as she handed a handkerchief to the tearful eyed girl.

"Yes, hum, Sora right?" She looked back at the chocolate colour eyed lady. "Thank you."

"You are welcome." Sora smiled. She undoubtedly had the gift of making people happy, for the Russian girl gave her a faint smile back. "You didn't have to come for me... I'm fine."

"I know how you feel. Once Ms. Layla and I tried to attempt to a manoeuvre no one had been able to accomplish, and Yuri tried to stop us, but anyway, we did it. Sometimes you have to follow your heart, no matter what other people say." She realised the young trapeze artist now gazed down to the floor. "But you are really good, by the way. I was very much impressed by your performance to-day."

"Thanks..." But something still bothered her, and Sora could see it. "Is it because of your partner?"

"It was my fault. Just like to-day's performance, I got too far away from the net and he tried to catch me. He was able to pull my body into the boundaries, but not his own, and that's how he broke his leg. And it could have been worse..."

"It wasn't intentional though; you couldn't possibly have known this would have happened. But anyway, I know how you feel. Ms. Layla hurt her shoulder during that act too... the doctor told us that she would probably never perform again after that, but eventually she did."

"That is good..." She made a pause. "Is he good...I mean, Yuri...?" She continued timidly.

"Well, I actually have been paired up with him only once, during the International Circus Festival, so I think you should ask Ms. Layla if you really want details, but as a person, he is really kind, and a bit overprotective." She laughed. "Okay, very very overprotective."

"I see..." She started playing with a sunflower petal "You really idolize her, don't you?"

"Who, Layla-san? Ha-ha, kind of. You know, she has turned into a very good friend of mine after some time. I think she is kind of a mother to everyone at the Kaleido Stage. She is never afraid of saying what she thinks about anything she finds is not good enough if she is passing by. First it can break you down, but when you see the result, it's much better!"

"Sounds a lot like my mom..." She giggled. "She is also very demanding and my sister too. Sometimes I just wished they allowed me to live my life."

"I've heard she doesn't like you to go to the circus."

"Actually, she doesn't even allow us to come here, but we go over her orders. I don't understand why, and she never talks about it. The first time I went to the circus was with my grandfather years ago. Nowadays she's been allowing us to go, because my father seems to be changing her mind, but still she prefers if I and my sister do not go and anyway she never comes if we go."

"Something really traumatizing must have happened then." Sora looked at the girl's eyes. That expression looked awkwardly familiar to her. The way she stared at the sunset, Sora had seen that before.

Their conversation was interrupted by Layla, who had just entered the garden.

"You see, it's getting late and both of you shouldn't be out here, and by the way, there is a delicious chocolate cake at the table, and I'll be very angry if you don't go there and eat, because it's really delicious and...Did you hear anything I said?" Both girls were laughing out loud. "Okay, what is so funny?"

"You've got chocolate in your upper lip."

"Sorry, is it gone?" She asked as cleaned the chocolate. "Did you hear anything I said?" The hormones production during the pregnancy had made her behaviour change completely from water to wine.

"Yes, we are going in." The Russian girl answered. "Is my sister still here?"

"No, she said she needed to go to the conservatory. She had to play something on the piano for a ballet class. Ah, and you should be back before 7 o'clock in the evening because you have to go to your grandfather's house at eight." Yuri said at his wife's back.

"Hum, Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now, I guess I should get both of you in before you catch a cold." The American lady stated. Both girls rose up from the grass covered floor and headed into the building.

"You did it again." He whispered on her ear. "The baby isn't even born yet and you are already acting like a mother to everyone."

"Shush. Elizabeth, Domino and Lara told me about the videogame too okay, daddy?" She had her right hand on his shoulder.

"Wha... That is because you didn't hear it." He blushed a bit. He always did when he was anxious or angry, but the colour got more expressive in the cold weather. "Elizabeth seemed desperate through the doors, and it was three in the morning, what did you expect me to do? They shouldn't be talking that loud." He followed her as she closed the doors that lead to outdoors.

"They are one year younger than you, not children. They have responsibility over their acts." She answered back, as he held her hands.

"So do Sora and Annika. Your hands are cold, you can't get sick." They were now at the living room, where Ms. Anya read a book seated in the sofa.

"Okay, I am not arguing with you now...I am going to our room to get warmer clothes, and I am also bringing you a coat. Seeing you this way makes me feel even colder."

"Layla, I don't need one." She was already on the stairs that leaded to the second floor and as he knew she would, she pretended not to have listened to him.

"Yuri." Ms. Anya began. "I am going to teach you an utmost important fact: Never argue with a woman, especially if she is your wife and she is pregnant. She will always have the last decision."

_As if she never had._ He was wearing a thin blue wool long-sleeved shirt, and was sweating, but she seemed not to notice that. She was going way down the stairs when suddenly stopped.

"What is the matter?" He soon went up at the same level she was.

"It's nothing; I just felt a little dizzy, must be the sugar. But it's over now. Here, you are." She said, handing him the black coat.

"Are you really sure? You know now it's not a good time to hide your feelings." He seemed worried; after all, when she is the matter, you have to get all the possible attention in the whole world. He knew she still had her internal conflicts concerning the fact that in life you have to rely on people.

"Yes, a hundred percent, you don't have to get so concerned, I have learned my lesson."

"Which was...?"

"Never hide your feelings or you may be hiding a symptom of something worse, and that will not be good both for you and the child." She stared at him.

"Good, but there is one bit missing. And...?" He gave her stare back.

"It is all I remember. Can we talk about something else?"

"Control your compulsion for strawberries, sweets and anything else that contains a lot of sugar or you may get hyperglycaemia." One other thing she had developed unconsciously. She had never made him wake up in the middle of the night to get her ice cream, but when she saw one of those three things...

"Umm..."

"And the three pieces of chocolate cake...?" He could feel the blood flowing strongly at her cheeks as he whispered his question in her ear.

"Oh give the girl a break young lad!" Ms. Anya shouted from the sofa where she was still sitting. "You ate two of them or have you suddenly forgotten about it?" Her comment provoked a smily Layla and a pink hued Yuri.

"We can talk about something else now." He said defeated.

* * *

"_You have to be strong now. Just keep calm okay?"_

"_Please... call him..." The lady said hard breathing. "I can't do it all alone."_

"_Shh...I have already done it, spare your energy. He will be here as soon as he can."The older woman cleaned the sweat on the other's forehead._

"_I feel like being ripped up in two Ms. Kournikova." The youngest started weeping silently._

"_Hey, that's how things are, I know it hurts, but there is no other way to be..." She heard the opening of the door. "Here he comes."_

_She flashed a fade smile as he held her hand tight. "Everything will be fine. Don't cry, I am here now and I won't leave your side until it's all over and you and the children are safe." The man said wiping her tears. His eyes had never been such a pleasant and calming view like they had at that moment._

"_Mommy?"_

She was awoken from a nap she didn't even realize she had taken by her son's shaking. She also realized she was being rounded by all of them.

"Mommy, wake up! We have to go to grandpas. Why were you crying?"

"I guess...I had a bad dream? Yes that's right. Give me a second to change please?"

"Okay..." The girls answered.

"If it had been me, she would be scolding me until tomorrow." Annika had her body draped on a pink dress that length to her knees and a pair of silver high heeled shoes.

"Ah Annie, give me a break will you?" Her older sister glared at her. Lena wore a marine blue long dress and a blue scarf over her back, her pale blond hair pinned up on a long braid.

Annika repeated her sister's last phrase in a mocking tone. The silence then was only broken when their mother headed back to the living room.

"Shall we? Yelena, ask whether your brother is staying over at your grandfather's with his cousins or not while I get my purse?"

"Okay mom."


	8. The Kiryanov Siblings

**HIYAHHH**

**I'm baack... Well,**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

It was round 10 o'clock in the night when Svetlana and her brother were called over to their father's office in his manor.

"Both of you my children might be wondering why I brought you here." The old man was sitting on an armchair behind an oak made table. "Please have a sit."

They sat on the chairs in front of the table. He handed a pile of documents to each his children.

"What?" The woman said surprised. "You are not thinking about selling the Kiryanov Company are you?"

"Lana, you know I won't be here soon." He flashed a smile. "Why don't you keep reading?"

"A competition to see who is able to succeed you in the direction of the company." The other man answered placing his papers on the table. "Between Yelena and my son Ivan? How unnecessary."

As the older child, Oleg had always wanted to control everything at his own way. He wore a black tuxedo with a crimson tie pinned up with the family's coat of arms : two dragons, one golden and other silver that framed a shield with two crossed swords. He had dark green eyes and black hair cut in military style.

"And why would it be unnecessary?" She retorted.

"Lana, you know that Ivan is far more prepared to take over this enterprise than Yelena." He said in a tone that he always used to make himself sound superior. As a child Svetlana used to call it the 'cockerel with pumped breast'. "Seriously, what will she do if there are problems to be solved, play the piano? Dance ballet? I don't believe that will be useful."

"Much better than being her father's puppet. She can make her own decisions and choices. And she is the oldest grandchild. This position is hers by right." She answered proudly.

"Humph. This family's business has being always run by men. Father, are you sure you want to have a woman as you successor?" He looked at his sister who seemed extraordinarily affected by this last statement.

"What is the problem? Times are changed brother!" The woman said.

"Oleg, I trust my granddaughter and I am sure she can handle it all really well. As your sister said herself, Lena is the oldest grandchild, and she and Ivan are the only ones that have achieved adulthood among them. Stop arguing both of you. "The challenge will decide."

"We will see then." Her brother said when leaving the room. As he went through the doors with her by his side he whispered with a devious look. "You know I am not letting this company father loves so much in the hands of a girl, and especially if she is _that_ sort of person. You know, after all that happened I think you agree with me, don't you?"

"If you try anything, any of your dirty tricks, to favour Ivan in this challenge, I swear..." she couldn't keep going. She tried to find strength for glaring but it was totally useless.

"What is wrong little sister? Where is all your determination now, your courage to menace me? Oh yes, I remember...you left it all behind, with your name and pride. You know I will never forgive you, no matter how many people have already done."

"You heard me. No dirty tricks." Saying that, she went down the stairs that leaded to the manor courtyard.

She sat down to the grass close to a pond where the moon lay reflected Her hands were shaking, tears rolled down her cheeks. A breeze went through her pale hair strands.

"_Hey, come here quickly." She could hear a whisper behind the bushes in the garden._

"_No..." She took a deep breath. "I can't and you know that."_

"_Humph, you and the rules, always the rules. There are so many of them Lana... Is it harming breaking one?" He smiled._

"_As if I hadn't broken." She headed closer to him and caressed his face. "If my brother sees you here, we are doomed." She stared deeply at his eyes. "Leave."_

"_As you wish, Princess."_

"_I've told you already not to call me like that."_

"_Sorry Mrs. Killer, I just got used to it." He grinned broadly._

"_It is Kiryanov. Stop manipulating people's names and other words." She giggled, but soon recomposed herself, for she had heard a noise._

"_Admit that at least it suits your brother..."_

"It's been so long..." She looked down at the moonflower bead in around the pond.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned herself and found her husband by her side.

"Are you alright?" He looked down on her. "You were taking too long to come back." He said as cleaned her tears.

"Yes..." She said rising up.

"Lena has told me. Your father has already called them over too. You are worried about her, right?"

"Not that I don't trust her, it's just ... You know how competitive Oleg is. He will do anything to get the power on his hands, I am sure he has some tricks hidden. And worse, he has that one masterpiece to use against me, against Lena." He held her back, afraid that she might succumb.

"Everything will be fine. It would be coward to do such a thing. Don't worry."

"He used the gender excuse, just to affect me. It shouldn't be this way... it is all wrong, all of it." She sobbed.

"I know I know..." He caressed gently her head. "We should get back inside. You know you can always talk to your father and give up, don't you?"

"That is out of my plans. It's her right to compete... Still... If he was here this wouldn't happen. This place is even more his than anyone else's."

"Shh... don't cry. I'm sure he is fine somewhere out here. Whatever happened, The Little Dragon was in good hands, remember?"

"I really hope so. Shall we get in?" She recomposed herself. Inside the building, Schubert's Ave Maria echoed. _Yelena..._She thought and smiled._ Wherever you might be, can you hear her playing? Can you see our little angel?_

"Yes." Saying that, he offered his arm for her to hold on and both went in.

* * *

"Interesting." Fool raised an eyebrow as looked down to the crystal orb he used to predict.

"What is wrong Fool?" Sora asked.

"Two new constellations have shown up, another Pisces and a Cancer one. I wonder if..."

"What, what?" Rosetta questioned him.

"Never mind, I must be wrong. Now why don't any of you go take a shower, to relax?" He was caught by Sora and tied up to the door.

"Pervert..." She retorted.

* * *

**Humm, mysterious, huh?**

**About the Kiryanov family coat of arms, I tried to find it everywhere, but I couldn't, so I adapted one myself**

**I hope you liked it, and see you around.**


	9. Walking on the Streets of Moscow

**Heloo, I am baack with updates.**

**Warning: "The Dragon" title was first used by Layla Hamilton- Original and a friend of hers. However, this fanfiction has no relation to hers.**

**I am writing this so that nobody will consider it a copy or something alike. I had the dragon idea while watching a dragon documentary for my Biology test (Reptiles ^^", don't ask me why... His idea. ****Totally random, but that is really from where "my dragon" comes from!****).**

**So, as this wonderful author has also got a marvelous fanfiction here entitled The Dragon n' the Phoenix: Start and End that , also from the Kaleido Star domain and Yuri is related somehow to the dragon figure, in case any of you starts reading it or has been reading it, you should keep in mind I am respecting the author's rights, because the idea was as I said, my Biology teacher's fault :D ( Thank goodness he gave me it!). **

**Warning: The fanfiction above is in portuguese, for those curious ones. The link : .net/s/5293128/1/The_Dragon_n_the_Phoenix_Start_and_End**

**Ok, doesn't work as a link, Copy and Paste please, you all know the beggining of the link.**

**And the documentary is from Discovery Channel and can be found on youtube, I guess! You can also search for it in the Discovery Channel website.  
**

**"The Dragon Prince" play belongs to me. If anyone wants to use it later, please PM me before doing so!**

**And for those ****who want to follow me on twitter:****/ThePhoenixFFnet**

**Okay, no more extremely long explanations, let's get to the chapter then!**

**I hope this one clears things up a bit...**

**You will see those:**

***Means ****No**** in Russian**

**** Means ****Yes**** in Russian**

**GOOD READING!**

**

* * *

**

It was Saturday; the team's rest day and consequently everyone's from Kaleido Stage too; and what a better way to spend your leisure day then knowing better the place where they were? All of them went, except for Mia and Elizabeth, who were working on the next presentation script.

"This city is sooo colourful! So many beautiful buildings!" Marion shouted as she ran through the streets of Moscow. "Jonathan would have liked to be seeing this!"

"Isn't it?" Sora smiled to the little girl.

"What are those ivory buildings with golden tops?" The young girl asked curiously.

"The Kremlin. Our governmental authorities lie there." Ms. Anya answered.

"Umm... look, look at those little dolls! They are so cute!" She said while pointed at a store.

"Those are called Matrioshkas." Rosetta answered. "When you open the first one, there is another inside and it goes this way until the last one."

"Wow, look at that now." She stopped, looking at a medieval style manor. "What a huge place! Looks like a castle!"

"It's Lena's Grandfather's family house. All of them have moved now, but the whole Kiryanov family inhabited this house since their beginning. The girls' uncle still lives here with his wife and children and his father." Stellan explained.

"Anya, how pleasant to see you here with your troupe of nasty half blood... Oh and I see you've got new friends." The man's eyes scanned all the people around the woman, but he took longer as he stared at Yuri's eyes. _So similar...It can't be. _

"Talking about him..."

"Good afternoon for you too, Oleg. I wonder where you are going...to ruin somebody's life perhaps?"

"Only if this person is a traitor, like you, who keeps walking with this kind of people." He answered with a malicious smile.

"Well, at least I don't destroy close people's families, and when I plan something up, it works. Don't back at me; you know pretty well what you did wasn't fair."

"Enough. I won't lose my time with you and your friends. Have a good day." The man said as he left, visually affected.

"What is wrong with that guy?" Anna asked the Russian by her side. "The way he talks, is as if you were dust!"

"We call him the Russian Hitler. He hates half blood people, like us, and also people from capitalist countries..." He was interrupted by May.

"So what does that guy like then?"

"Pure Russian lineage people like _almost_ all their family." Ms. Anya retorted. "Never mind, he has some problems."

"Almost?" Marion asked.

"Did I say almost? Oh, look, there is the Bolshoi! Would you like to visit it?"

"Can we? I have always wanted to watch them rehearsing." Rosetta said.

The Bolshoi Theatre was indeed a majestic sight. From the outside, it's white and rose coloured building lied in front of a small plaza. From the inside, there could be seen many ballet dancers in the stage. They were performing a scene from the Swan Lake. Yelena could be seen playing the piano for the choreography. They were told to enter quietly and to sit down while Anya talked to the choreographers. As a former ballerina, she could come and watch the rehearsals freely. Soon the dancing was stopped by one of the women.

"Nope. Yekatherina and Dmitry, you need more passion, you are not acting as it should be. Sorry but I have to say that. Odette loves Siegfried and that frees him from the enchantment. You've got to show that. If I were to grade you, out of ten you would get 5.0."

"I think it was good. Go take a break everybody, you too Lena." Other woman said. Anna Kournikova was the main director of the Bolshoi ballet section, and too once had been a remarkable ballerina and Svetlana and Anya's teacher. "Lana, come here. You need to keep calm, I know this routine means a lot to you, but can you please allow them to find themselves? You know you can't keep comparing them to you and Aaron."

"I am not comparing them to anyone. It wasn't good and that is all."

"Now that reminds me of someone..." Yuri whispered in his wife's ear.

"Do you miss it?" She answered back, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Just a bit. After you get used to something, it is always missed somehow." He smiled.

"Awn Yuri and Layla are so cute together aren't they?" Marion whispered to Rosetta. She just nodded.

"What did you say? I heard my name somewhere..."

"Nothing." She grinned broadly.

"Hum there is something... Won't you tell me?" He insisted. "Or do you want to get tickled?"

"Nooo...Ha-ha... stop it you...ha-ha-ha-ha. Okay I surrender, I... said... You...And... Ms. Layla... look cute ... together..."

"Humph, how childish you've become Killian..." Leon rolled his eyes.

"Now what is that?" Ms. Kournikova asked. "New acrobats, Anya?"

"They are our guests, from the Kaleido Stage." The woman answered.

"Control them. We are in a theatre, not anywhere, and we need silence to rehearse." Svetlana said looking at her students that were coming back. Then she stared at Yuri, who was still tickling Marion.

"_Daddy, Mommy!" Two children, a boy and a girl rushed through the auditorium hall and hugged the dancers up on the stage. The boy went straight to his father, while the girl, to her mother._

"_Hey, you two! Thanks for bringing them here Anya." The ballerina answered._

"_Anytime Lana. They behave like two angels."_

"_I am a dragon, RAWR!"The little boy retorted, still not letting go of his father._

"_Okay, but now we have to rehearse, so let go." The man caressed his son's head._

"_Nyet* ..." The boy shook his head._

"_They have such a strong bond haven't they?"_

"_Indeed. I don't know what would be of him if something happened to his father... I think he would go mad." She giggled._

"_Beware child, mother plague catches." Ms. Kournikova said, entering the room. "Let your father rehearse, Odette can't keep going without her Siegfried."_

"_Get out,my turn to hug daddy now! Go to mommy!"The little girl said, but it was useless._

"_Then you leave me no other choice: TICKLING DRAGON RAGE, RAWR!"_

_"Sometimes he has such a child-like behaviour... But the children like that. I guess I should try it too someday." The young ballerina said to her friend and her teacher.  
_

"_Daddy, stop it ha-ha-ha-ha." The little boy laughed out loud.  
_

"_Will you let go? Look, your mother wants to be hugged. Go there, or she will cry." The young man whispered to his son.  
_

"_No ha-ha-ha-ha, I will ha-ha-ha." Saying that the child went to his mother. "Don't be sad, your turn now!"_

"Daydreaming again, Mother?" The piano player questioned, laying her hand on her mother's shoulder. The former Odette came back to herself quickly and soon shouted:

"Are you all ready? The show has to keep going, on your positions, NOW."

"DA!**" The group answered.

"I think is time for us to go too." Ms. Anya notified the team.

* * *

"Mia, I really don't know what to do... We have to finish this script to-morrow and I just can't think of anything...Why did Annika want to put on that Dragon Flight routine? Puhh." Elizabeth succumbed onto her computer.

"We will find something, don't worry... If that is the problem, let's concentrate on the routine."

"We are baack!" Rosetta and Marion rushed through the doors of the room.

"How did you like our city then?" Liza asked.

"It is a very beautiful city. How is the plot going?" Sora asked.

"Not well... We can't insert the Dragon Flight anywhere, but I guess Annika won't give up, now that she and Yuri are working on that routine..." Mia stated.

"We could help!" Rosetta and Marion said happily.

"Dragon, Flight, Dragon...Dragon..."

They were all working on the script when suddenly Mia's mobile began to ring. The ringtone was Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast, by Celine Dion.

"I KNOW!" Elizabeth shouted highly. "Why didn't I think about that before? I am so damn stupid and blind sometimes! How did you say our "prince" was like back at the Kaleido Stage?" She then began typing.

_Once upon a time, in a village that lied among many mountains, a new prince was king and queen were very happy, but unfortunately they felt guilty for what their son would have to suffer. Due to a many years family quarrel, a spell was cast on their lineage, what caused every firstborn boy to be afflicted by a curse: after his sixteenth birthday, he would turn into a dragon every sunset, but he wouldn't remember anything he would possibly have done during his dragon period. He would be forced to live in constant bipolarity until he found, both as dragon and human, his true love. Until he found someone to protect and fight for, only then he would be freed from the curse._

_He had been promised to the neighbour kingdom firstborn princess. At his human side, he was everything someone would ever want: handsome, charming, gentle, intelligent and protective. As the silver dragon, the prince was twisted upside down: explosive, violent, destructive, untameable, and capable to eliminate anybody who cut into his way. So he would be locked every sunset so that he wouldn't hurt anyone in both kingdoms._

_One night, he escaped his prison, and spread fear all around nearby, reddening the sky with its flames as every dragon does. He was shot on his wing, falling in the forest between the two kingdoms. He was followed by his promised lady, who found the fallen dragon and healed its wounds._

_In the morning the princess found the human in the middle of the woods, and explained what had happened. He couldn't come back, not after all he had done, not until he had healed himself from the curse. That was what his human side wanted, but not the dragon inside him. His lady kept taking care of him, both as dragon and human, for she still believed he could heal. The dragon twice more surrounded the village, before his people decided to destroy the 'menace'._

_The princess and his parents tried to stop the villagers, but it was useless. They found the dragon asleep at the forest clearing and decided to kill him, with an arrow on his chest. When they were going to shoot the deadly weapon, the princess put herself on the way, what woke the beast up. The arrow was shot and hit the lady on her shoulder. Immediately the mythical creature let out a roar and instead of the expected, that was to go after the archers, it shed tears over the young girl's hurt body. Slowly, a light engulfed the creature and progressively, it returned to his human form. The Dragon was tamed, not by weapons or knowledge, but by love. They got married, the prince became king, and they lived happily ever after._

"...The End!" Mia and Elizabeth said in unison.

"It could well work." Layla said.

"I just have one thing to say." Yuri started. "A dragon's heart doesn't lie on its chest and yes on its neck, and not every dragon shoots fire, only some of them, like the mountain dragons and the forest dragons, but the water dragons for instance don't."

"Wow, and I thought I knew everything about dragons." Liza stated surprised. "How do you know that?'

"Actually this whole subject is very nostalgic to me. As a child, I used to make my father tell me a dragon tale every night as a bedtime story. Have you decided a title?"

"Yes. The Dragon Prince." Mia answered.

"Don't you all be so happy. Remember it has still to go through Annika's evaluation, and you all know how she is. Dinner is ready." Ms. Anya reminded them.

* * *

"The girls have done a really good job with that script, don't you think?" Yuri said from the room's balcony.

"The characters seem really to fit the actors personalities...I wished I could be acting with you all there..." Layla spoke, combing her now once more, long blonde hair.

"Why, are you jealous of Annika?" He provoked her.

"Very funny... I, jealous of a young girl that can't even perform without the approval of her mother... I don't think so." She stared back at him. Somehow something she had said seemed to have affected him deeply. "Anything wrong?"

"I have never met her. Well, at least, not that I can remember." He said as he laid himself on their bed.

"Who?" She answered, fiddling with his hair.

"My mother. My father never talked to me about her. The closest thing I've ever had of a mother was my grandmother. You wanted to know about it some nights ago."

"Sorry..." She hugged him. She knew what was to lose a parent, for she had lost her mother, but lose both of them...surely worse. At least, she had still had her father, no matter how absent he had ever been. Well, she couldn't say that now that he had stopped talking to her because of the baby.

"_You want to keep the child? Fine, but don't expect my help and consent. You know exactly my opinion about this. Just make sure you do not stain your family name."_

His sharp words still echoed in her mind. Her father had always taught her that every action has a reaction, and you had to learn how to deal with it...but when that came up, dealing was out of question.

"Never mind... you had the right to know." Now it was his turn to comfort her.

"Yuri, do you really think we can be good parents?" She seemed worried and he could see that. Both of them had had family problems and strong traumas at early ages, so it wouldn't be news if they found it difficult to parent.

"It's hard to say... but I promise I'll never leave you and the child, no matter what happens. I'll take care of you, both of you." She looked at him and smiled.

"I love you, my Dragon Prince." She said, the moonlight that went through the windows reflecting on her blue eyes.

"Love you too, my Golden Phoenix. Now I guess we three should sleep right?" The baby that once was moving a lot slowed down as it heard its father's voice.

"I guess somebody agreed. Good night then." She yawned.

"Night." He said covering them up with the duvet.


	10. Little Boy

**I'mm baack with updates.**

**White Phoenix, I have erased your last review because of the possible confusion that can be made, which is explained on my last author note (see chapter nine's huuge one) , but I looved it ^_^ and I am glad you are enjoying this fanfiction and that things are clearing up (I hope things will clear up for everybody from now on).**

**Probably I may write a one-shot for father's day...(or not) or a more suitable chapter from here...**

**If I don't, this chapter can be my tribute to all fathers in the world, being them with us here or not.**

**Please go hug your father and make him happy, especially on father's day, you never know tomorrow.Yuri is ordering and you don't want to upset him, do you?**

**Okay, let me leave, I promised there wouldn't be long author notes anymore.**

**Good reading! And Reviewing. Kidding you review if you want...but it would make me happy ;D**

* * *

"_Daddy, who are those men?"The little boy said pointing at two military dressed men who appeared from the bushes scattered on the street. _

"_See that man over there? I want you to run as fast as you can to him and tell your father asked him to take you home. Now." No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide his concern from his son. Even though, the boy obeyed and disappeared through the night. 'That's my little boy.' He thought._

"_Look what we have here…Hey, Urianov, you know what he smells like?" One of the men asked the other._

"_Oh yes Vodianov… American dog." The other responded. "And do you know what we do to American dogs? We make them beg for their lives… Oh, and what is that you've got there Ulrich?"_

"_Let me go, let me go! Daddy, he is hurting me!"The man named Ulrich held the boy with a strong grip on his arm._

"_Let him go. You can have me, but let my son leave." The two behemoth Russian KGB agents secured the man back by his two arms._

"_I am afraid this won't be possible." One man emerged from the shadows. His eyes shone like two raging emeralds in the cold night. "You know…Don't get me wrong, it's just I can't allow half-blood children…" He then caught the boy by his turtle neck shirt. "to have the chance of taking a pure blood's place in a hierarchy."_

"_You are dirty…Don't you feel ashamed to hurt someone of your own blood?" He answered._

"_You don't dare say that again!" The KGB leader shouted. "Now, tell me: where is the little girl…your little half-blood daughter…"_

"_She is not here." He stated, his fierce violet eyes confronted the man's emeralds._

"_Liar!" The man punched the other's stomach. "Kneel him down, I want to see if he dares looking at me like that once more!"_

"_Daddy!" The three year old shouted, biting the hand of the man who held him and running close to his father. "Nobody punches my daddy!"_

"_You little bastard! Fine! And then you can tell me, where is she? I know your father taught you that lying is not the key." The dark green eyed man said, covering his bit hand with a handkerchief._

"_Not here." Tears went down the child's face, as he hugged the kneeled down man._

"_She is home, with her mother. But I don't think you are going there, are you?" The American once more confronted the Russian._

"_Well, that doesn't really matter; she won't be a menace for me." He looked at the child's neck, which had a medallion with a known figure to him. "Listen very carefully: you will get into that helicopter, and you will never come back here scout. If you try, you won't be able to cross the country border, because as you know, we control everything here. And more, tonight I am on a good mood, but who knows, next time instead of giving you another option I may decide to kill one…" He gave a sardonic smile. "Or better, two half-bloods in the way… Do you understand me? Or do you need me to write down?"_

"_You are sick." The lilac eyed retorted._

"_I asked if you understood me! Idiot! Is it that hard to answer a simple question?" The general shouted._

"_Understood." He mocked back._

_The agent and general pulled the medallion away from the boy's neck._

"_Hey, give back! Mommy gave me, mine!" He cried out._

"_She gave you… what a pity, now it's mine. Get in the helicopter you two, NOW." They were pulled into the aircraft, where they found that they weren't the only ones who weren't welcome in the country. There were other people inside; scared people…children, mothers and fathers were also being dragged away from Russia by the KGB and the army._

"_Daddy, I am afraid." The boy started to cry burying his face on his father's chest. "Will mommy be okay?"_

"_Shh... everything will be fine. I'll protect you." The child's father showed a smile._

"Mother...?" Yuri felt his face being gently touched.

"Yuri, wake up." Layla said, wiping his tears.

"What time is it?" The lad asked.

"5 o'clock... Nightmare?" She gently laid her head onto his chest.

"Memory..." He caressed her back. She put her hand onto his. "Was it about your mother?"

"No...My father...but apparently something unpleasant was happening. I wish I could remember more..." She put a finger on his mouth. "Shh... Everything will be fine." She soothed him up.

"You know...He told me the same." He smiled.

"See, there is nothing to worry then." She had never seen him so disturbed since they had met, even more than when he had been planning the Kaleido Star's taken over. This was different. Talking about his father was hard to him; just as well it was to her to talk about her mother. Unconsciously she could see that little boy crying to his grandmother when he had been scared, when he had problems, when he needed someone to hold on to, for what she had heard his grandfather had died a couple of months after Yuri had moved with them to Paris. The child kicked, or at least it looked like a kick... hands, feet, after sometime you can't guess anymore. "He is worried about you." She put his hand on her stomach.

"I felt that...Wait a minute...did you just tell me that deliberately?"

"Tell what?" She turned herself to his opposite side and pretended to be sleeping.

Yes, she did tell him intentionally. She could remember that day...The day he didn't go with her to the doctor, and she made sure he would regret it, at least, until their child was born.

"_No Yuri..." She told him firmly._

"_Whew...I thought I had the right to know if our child is a boy or a girl...but as you are not telling me...alright, I won't obligate you." He answered, heading to their room._

"_Great. Okay. What is the joke? The Yuri I know wouldn't have accepted that so quickly and easily."_

"_He hasn't dear. I know him." His grandmother retorted. "And I am not telling you either, as I know you are going to ask me later, heard?" The old woman shouted so that her grandson could hear her._

"_Why God...This is ridiculous .You won't resist for too long women. Sooner or later one of you will tell me. " He responded bothered._

"_If you had been to the obstetrician with me today you would know, patience now." Layla replied back._

"_How many times I'll have to tell you: the traffic was terrible. I wouldn't have got there in time anyway."He said._

"_But at least you could have tried, don't you think?" She went to their room and locked herself inside._

He had tried to come in time, but at that moment, it made no difference. He had had to sleep on the couch that night. But 'mysteriously', he woke up with a duvet over his body. Yes, she had felt pity of him, but still, she wouldn't tell him the baby's sex. Well, not until now.

"No, now you are talking to me." He insisted childishly.

"Yuri, its 5:30 in the morning, I want to sleep and your son too. If you don't, please leave the room." She said avoiding his gaze.

"I'll behave... Sorry for waking you two up. But I said you wouldn't resist for too long." He turned himself to the other side.

"You didn't wake me up..." In fact, the child had awoken her; just in time to ease the 'overgrown one' that was by her side. _Sometimes I wish I could read your thoughts._ She held him closer, to whisper something to him, but she realized his breathing had calmed down and he was already asleep. That being, she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Our little boy..." He whispered on his sleep. She couldn't help but smile when she heard that words. _That's right my love, our little boy._ After that she fell heavily asleep as well.

* * *

"QUICKER." He shouted to his trapeze partner. Annika quickened her pace. They had been training the Dragon's flight manoeuvre for almost one week and they still couldn't get through a tiny obstacle: she still got too far from the net, in a way he couldn't catch her unless he threw himself on it.

"We can't keep like that... Can't you swing harder Yuri?" She questioned him, panting.

"Of course I can. The only problem is that the trapeze would break." He answered.

"Am I supposed to laugh? Because it wasn't funny at all." She retorted.

"No. You laugh if you want to."

"Are you provoking me?" She narrowed her violet-bluish eyes.

"No. I am just saying that you should make a spin to be back to the net area."

"Aha, and you think that is easy?" She said angrily.

"I never said it was easy." He stated calmly.

"HEY! You two, stop arguing like that. You seem like two siblings quarrelling for a toy." The girl's sister, Yelena, had decided to watch their rehearsals, to see how everything was going. "And I agree with him, you have to come back to the delineated space."

"Okay GENIUS. If you are so good, do it then!" She challenged the woman.

"Annika, that's stupid." Sora, that too was there, tried to stop the fight.

"It's alright." Said the pianist, who was already making up her long pale hair in a ponytail and taking out her shoes. Under her dress, as if this situation had been already expected, she had a ballet collant. "I was going to swing later to relax, but she insists, so I'll give it a try."

The lady headed to the trapeze set of steps and turned herself to begin the routine. She then shouted to him: "I may have to include some moves. I hope that is alright for you."

"Come." He shouted back, already swinging.

She proceeded with the same moves that he and her sister had been training: backward flips, mortal jumps and somersaults. She also moved away from the net. _Well...So here we go again._ He thought, preparing himself to jump to the net, catching the woman in mid air, but this time, he needn't have done it. _What? _Gracefully, she twisted herself back opening her arms as two wings, to gain aerodynamic, and in a series of pirouettes, she went up to the air, and decreased, her hands moved gently to meet his.

"Amazing, looks like..."May begun and the sentence was finished by Sora. "...an angel?"

_Good job Yelena, good job Yuri. _Anya thought to herself.

"Humph..." Annika crossed her arms.

"Now, how did you two plan to finish this up?" Yelena asked him, still not letting go of his hands to the net.

"Well, I guess we would think about it after we had gone through the falling problem..." He laughed. "I will get us out of here." He lifted himself up, sitting on the trapeze bar and automatically lifted the girl too. Both of them swung to the platform and went down to the floor.

Yelena walked slowly close to her sister. "That is why you should not underestimate the ones whose potential is unknown to you."

"Yees, I know, thank you for reminding me AGAIN. Now can you please teach me how to do that twist?"

"Ahh...You know I don't know how?" Annika stared at her with an unpleasant face. She was surely faking.

"HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO DO WHAT YOU DO?" She shouted.

Her sister just laughed and later said:

"I was serious. That is a twist I have always done to come back to the trapeze or to someone who should catch me. It's kind of unconscious. But I can try to teach you my Angel Twist then." She put her hand onto the other's shoulder.

* * *

Moonlight went through the curtains; there was a gentle breeze on the air. His father would have liked that weather. Yuri glanced at the clock that rested on the bed table. Midnight. He wished he could just lie down and sleep as his wife and unborn son were doing, but he couldn't. He somehow he felt he would be awoken or wake somebody up if he did. Oh, how he wished these memories stopped haunting him. How he wished he was still seven, when there were no worries, when his father would tuck him up in bed and tell him Dragon tales, or put a song to play while he fell asleep.

He blinked slowly, to open his eyes and see something shining in front of him. It looked like a miniature human being, with long wavy blonde hair and half of his pale face covered by a mask. He had heard this description more than once: first from his father and later from Layla's lips, but he never imagined he would get to see the famous Spirit of the Stage, especially after all what he had done.

"You must be Fool I suppose." He said to the small being. Unconsciously he felt himself drawing a protective hand around his beloved ones, afraid that the presence could bring any misfortune to his new family.

"So you can see me, Yuri Killian. It means you have, now more than never, work to do for the stage." Fool said, opening his arms and summoning light around him.


	11. Sora's little secret, and The Ballerina

**Okay, No big author note today.**

**Forgive me for any mistakes... I have read and re-read it, but something always escapes ^_^.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"What do you want?" Yuri said lowering his voice.

"I want nothing. I just make sure the stage's wishes come true. How do you like the Dragon's Flight?"

"Challenging, but from what I've learned of it, a good manoeuvre, why?"

"Good. Your father would have liked to hear that." Fool could remember the making of that manoeuvre pretty well. It had been a breezing night too. He could remember his words: "I want him to make this true. For that, I hope you can help, Fool."

"My father? What does he have to do with all of this?" The nineteen year old enquired annoyed. First he takes his father away, and later comes with mysterious quotes. That little thing was beginning to angry him up.

"You shall find this out soon. I just have to tell you something. For the existence of the Dragon, an Angel shall subsist first. That's the main meaning of it." Saying that, the Spirit touched the lad's forehead, and with a magical move he put him to sleep. "Good Night."

"You...can't...do..." The Russian closed his eyes.

The cold breeze of the night brought a sound to the small being's ears: _Thank you, Fool._

"I hope you know what you are doing." He stared at the sleeping couple. _I wonder if you will be able to see me again too, Layla. _"It won't take too long now."

* * *

In a manor across the city, there was one room that kept alive in the night. Flickering candles illuminated the place. A figure lay dancing inside. A choreography can make you cry, make you laugh, make you lose your breath, make you take a breath, but this one was a mixture of so many emotions that you couldn't decide what you wanted to feel. Passion becomes despair, love bursts into tears.

"Don't you think you should be sleeping, Milady?" She heard a voice from the window, which made her stop immediately. She ran to the place then.

"Is that you, Fool?" She leaned on the balcony and looked everywhere. "It seems like I can still hear you, my dear friend."

"You are really a masterpiece Svetlana Kiryanova. It is nice to see you dancing again, Shining One." The Spirit whispered in her ear. "I wonder what made you do it by your own will once more." He could see her jade pupils dilate.

"You know, small phantom of the opera, one more of the many tricks your dearest stage has played on me. I saw something a day before yesterday." She smiled. "I wish I could see you again."

"Listening is not enough dear?" She could hear his laughing. "Breezy today, isn't it?"

"And it keeps opening my windows and trying to light off my candles. Ah, and it is Kravchenkova now." She showed a ring. Emeralds, just like she had always liked. "I wanted to finish some of my paintings; it makes me nervous seeing them this way, but apparently, my old ballet shoes that I kept here called much more my attention."

"Sometimes I forget how long it has been since we last met."

"Fifteen years and ten months. Unlike you, I can't forget." She took her hand to her neck, and brought with it a silver dragon shaped pendant.

She felt the presence walk away, and a door behind her opened slowly.

"Mom?" The young woman said. "Are you alright?" She stared at her mother. She had always loved the way her pale long hair shone, contrasting with her pale green eyes with the moonlight reflecting on it since she was a child. She used to say that her mother was a moon elf because of that and because of her musical abilities.

"Yes, Yelena, you shouldn't worry so much about me." Sometimes she still stared in wonder. How much had her little girl grown. She then watched her child get close to the piano.

"Dancing without music is like a clown without a smile, isn't it?" She winked.

"_It's sad to see clowns without their smiles isn't it Lana? I don't know about you, but for me is one of the saddest things in the world."_

"It is. But I was going to my room now. Did I wake you up?" She flashed her daughter a gentle smile. "What is wrong? I generally don't need words to know what my daughter is feeling like, but I presume tonight I need some help."

"No...Mom, do you really think I can do that? Take care of grandpa's enterprise..." Her mother put her hand on the younger's cheek.

"So that is it? You will be fine, I am sure of it. What is mom's first rule?"

"You can do whatever you want; all you have to do is try hard. Thank you." Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks. "Sorry, good night." Svetlana hugged her daughter strongly. She hated to see those amethyst eyes crying.

"Night, my baby."

Lana once more felt the ethereal being come closer. "Why did you leave? She won't be able to see you anyway." She responded.

"Well... You never know right? I was surprised that you could still hear me." He watched the woman light off the candles and pick up her painting materials. Her paintings. For a moment he was glad she couldn't see him again.

"_Fool, keep quiet! I can't portrait you if you keep moving!"_

"_You shouldn't be painting; you know this dye has toxic components. I'll tell him." The spirit ran all over the room._

"_So what? The maximum that can happen is that our children will like to paint too. You won't tell him...oh you won't." She smiled. "Enough. I am binding you up to the wall with tape."_

"Have you been to the circus already?" Her eyes darkened as she proffered those words.

"I am staying there actually, with my new protected ones."

"I see, your famous stars. Is there any new "vampire" like me?" She could hear his laughter once more.

"'Vampire'... Actually I found a better name; after all you don't get everywhere biting people, and you are nowhere near a vampire, Blood tied."

"Blood tied... So, you haven't answered my question."

"Maybe there is one, I have to wait until I confirm... probably by tomorrow I will know. She reminds me of you, except for the fact she wouldn't attach me up to a wall." He lowered his voice. "And the stage misses you."

"I see, but it amends nothing. It just reminds me once more how unfair this world that we live in is." Her face froze in a serious expression. "How it plays with our lives without our permission and we don't even get a chance for, for...Ah forget, I am not coming back."

"I never expected you to change as such. I think is time to go then. Good night, Milady."

"I agree. Good night, Fool." Although she couldn't see him, she stared to the nowhere in a way that would have captured his eyes_._

"See you someday." Fool answered, disappearing through the night.

The ballerina went to her room, where her husband lay in bed reading a book. She changed herself in her sleeping clothes, and lay down at his side. She knew exactly what was coming, so she cut it quickly.

"I don't want to talk. Good night."

"Good night Lana." He said surprised. "Fool..." He laughed inside. "Oh, and there is violet dye on your hair."

She swore inside. "Tomorrow I clean it." Then, she closed her eyes, hoping that would be a night without dreams. _If Fool wants it will... _She thought.

* * *

Inside the building, Annika performed one of the many failed attempts to learn what her sister called the Angel Twist.

"Damn it! Why doesn't it work for me crap?" The girl shouted. She hated when she couldn't do something, and apparently, that was one of those things.

"Hey, watch out for your mouth!" Yelena reprehended her sister. "Now jump and swirl. It is simple."

"Down here it is. But up there nyet! Can't you get it?"

"Keep trying. One day you will learn it." Yuri and Yelena said calmly, at exactly the same time.

"I hate you two and your perfect synchrony, did you know that?" She pouted.

Sora gazed upon the garden. There had passed already two weeks out of the four they would stay here. Two weeks only were left to be with her friends, to be with _all_ of them. Annika was trying hard to learn her sister's twist. She laughed to herself. It reminded her so much of her training days of the Angel's Act with Leon. Leon. She felt herself blush. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned back quickly, losing her blush.

"Oh, it's you Ms. Layla. Sorry."

"Daydreaming with whom?" The woman asked the other. "Leon?"

Sora blushed. Red .She felt her face burning.

"Ha-ha, I knew it." She smiled. "Have you ever talked to him about such?"

"No. I can't."

"You have been partnered for one year already. It's normal to speak to each other about things off-stage."

"Ah, I don't know... He is different...I mean, he is not like" The cherry haired girl stopped. She suddenly had remembered how gifted to talk with pregnant women she was.

"He is not like Yuri you were saying." Layla lowered her gaze. "Once he was just like that."_Except for the fact he seemed to care from people since the beginning._

"_Yuri Killian." One of the men called his name. She watched that tall, pale haired boy step onto the stage. He seemed to be the same age as she was, fourteen, but somehow he looked much older due to his rigid expression._

_His performance was a perfect and clear sample of the ballet The Swan Lake. He made every previous performance appear the same as kindergarten's work. It was as if the music urged to follow his steps, not the opposite. His moves were accurate and had momentum, presence on the stage. A chill went up her spine as she watched it._

_As expected, he was accepted into the circus, just well as she did. One thing she knew at that moment: That lad was her worst and only enemy on that place and she had to surpass him._

_Even after they were assigned partners he would never stop challenging her abilities._

"_Quicker!" He said._

"_Why don't you slow down?" She confronted him._

"_Because you are the one who has to go quicker, not me."_

"_Well, I am not doing so. Sorry if it bothers you." She answered firmly, in that way that only she could do._

"_Okay." Saying that he threw himself on the net and went to the place where it was being held._

"_What are you doing?" She asked as realized he was undoing the knots._

"_I see you only work under pressure, don't you? Here is the thing. I won't change my pace, and unless you don't want to crush yourself onto the floor, you will go quicker. I wish I hadn't to do this."_

_That expression. The cold expression on his eyes that always made her shiver. All she could do was nod. How she hated to be manipulated. On that day, the famous manoeuvre The Golden Phoenix was born._

"_I think we will need a full turn trapeze here." He laughed while swinging. That was the first time she had ever wanted to slap him. She had never being forced to do something. She loathed him. So much._

"In the end, I think I wouldn't be me without his harshness. I think we need to be pushed to our limit, so that we can find it or even surpass it." The blonde turned herself to watch Sora's mouth agape, her eyes widened. "What... You didn't expect that, right? Nobody does. Everybody seems to remember him either as the charming prince, either as the traitor... but there is much more than that. He is much more than that. I just regret having taken so long to comprehend it."

"I missed talking to you, Ms. Layla." The chocolate hued eyed girl said.

"Sora, I want to ask you a favour." She began, seriously. "Can you please stop calling me Ms. Layla? You could just say Layla." She grinned.

"Of course, M... Layla."

"Better now." Her blonde locks moved to the breeze.

"I forgot to ask... Have you two picked up a name for the child already?" The Japanese looked at her friend who had burst into laughing.

"Not yet. In fact...Now that you said...I assume we are a bit late... Have you got any suggestion?"

"Humm." The cherry haired thought, but nothing could come to her mind. "I guess not."

* * *

"Did you know...? Sora likes Leon?" Layla asked her former trapeze partner.

"I would be worried if she didn't...Working with someone you hate is hell."

"You reckon like has more than one meaning, don't you?" Of course he did, he just didn't want to see it, and she knew that.

"I am not a thesaurus, but I think I know that. She is in love with him? Leon?"

"Yes."

"But LEON? Couldn't it be Ken, or I don't know, anyone else?" His paternal disapproving look almost made her chuckle.

"No genius... Why, do you think of stopping her from doing so?" The previous expression gave place to a 'What if I do?' one. The room went on deadly silence.

"Do you support her choice?" He then said.

"Why should I not? Look, I know you have had problems with him before but that is no reason for preventing her from loving him." She thought having heard him whisper something to himself. "Moreover, you are not the one to decide that."

"Alright, cutting the preaching part, why did you tell me that? You are not expecting me to do something to help it, are you?"

"See, that is what I like of synchronization, you can even read my thoughts now!" The famous icy look. But now she wasn't afraid anymore. "I know you don't consent with everything, but make an exception and talk to Leon... Please, for me... for..."

"Stop it now. You are not putting Boris in the middle of this discussion." She looked at him awkwardly. "I'll never leave you again with my grandmother, never ever. She's been teaching you far more of her cute persuasion than I expected. I learned to love you the other way around."

"Aw... So you hate me now because of that? So I have news for you Yuri Killian: no way is his name going to be Boris. Looks like... A vampire... No way!" He burst into laughing, and she punched his shoulder delicately. "Sora asked me if we had thought it up already."

"You haven't, I did. Vladimir looks even more like a vampire's name. Let me think... Igor?" He asked.

"No...Isn't it Dr. Frankenstein's assistant name?" She stared at him with a serious expression. "You are aware that you can always stop teasing me whenever you want, right?"

"You realized that? Now I am surprised." He laughed out loud. The incredulous look on her face was priceless. "Alright... I'll start telling you the ones I actually thought up."

"Oh, yes..." She realized something behind his head. "Fool?"

"It's been some time Layla..." The Spirit replied.


	12. The Princess

**Reminding you of last chapter's end:**

"Oh, yes..." She realized something behind his head. "Fool?"

"It's been some time Layla..." The Spirit replied.

**Now it actually begins.**

"Wait a sec... Everybody that sees you are only the ones that have still work to do for the Stage, right?" Yuri asked disturbed. He had no doubts that Layla was a great performer, but performing expectant...No way, and judging by her expression, she found that situation quite abnormal too.

"Indeed, you are right. I believe you also agree that every rule has an exception, don't you?" The Spirit showed his crystal ball. "Pisces has given Leo the opportunity to see properly, as well as Gemini has once done for Virgo."

"Speak my language." The young man said imposingly.

"Well, as I said, there are exceptions, and such beings are called Blood Tied. Those who are tied up by blood knots with my protected can also see me. So, as Yuri can see me and you are carrying his child, that makes you then a Blood Tied."

"That doesn't make sense..." The Russian said. "If that was it...I would have seen you as child, while my father could see you, wouldn't I? Because..."

"You are his son? No."

"Why not?" He questioned angrily. Inside, he hated the fact he could see that being. Well, at least now it would be easier to hang him up if he wanted. Or not...Layla wouldn't allow. Yes, there were no good points about seeing Fool.

"I know you must be confused, in fact, not even I know myself what really causes this to happen. There have been only few of those." Yuri went into the balcony, while the woman stared to the moon.

"I see..." The lady said. "Fool... I may be asking you total non-sense, but, you knew his father, so could she..."

"Yes, she could see me."

"So you know her?" She watched as the Spirit's gaze lowered. Then he spoke.

"I knew her. She was once The Princess of this stage, but things happened and well, she was gone years ago." Both Fool and the woman heard a shattering noise. "Yuri?"

"Yes, I have broken the vase, and no, nothing else has happened, and yes, I am fine." The lad entered the room, his left hand red with his blood.

"Oh yes, of course nothing has happened. Give me your hand." She said ironically. "This was deep." He avoided her eyes. "You heard it, right?"

"Hear what?" He moaned as she cleaned the wound.

"If you keep moving your hand, it will surely hurt even more. About your mother."

"Could we change the subject please?" His voice tone went louder. "Did you hear Fool? She is dead, and anyhow she shouldn't have cared about me much, otherwise my father would have told me beautiful and pleasant things about her whenever I asked, don't you think?" He stared at the floor, and she had no words. Silence is good. Or not.

"You shouldn't say such things about what you don't know."

"You shut up your project of miniature of phantom of the opera; nobody invited you in this conversation." He yelled.

"Alright, I won't bother you. But I won't allow you to say such things about her." The phantom tried to find words, but they all stuck on his throat. He couldn't blame the boy for not loving his mother. He couldn't blame him for not knowing what he had meant to her. This world is indeed a cruel one. A world that corrupts people. A world that destroys people, but unfortunately, this was the world they inhabited. "You resemble her even more than you think. Good night."

The spirit left, and once more, silence engulfed the place, except for some moaning now and then.

"_Ouch, that hurts Nana!" He looked up, to meet a pale blonde haired woman that was tending his bruises. She was blinking, so he couldn't see her eye colour, and had a sweet smile on her face. Roses. She smelled of roses and moonflowers. He realized he was sitting on her lap, back to her. She seemed not very old, probably around her mid twenties._

"_Hum...So dragons feel pain indeed." The boy felt like answering back, but something repealed him. Maybe it was her smile, that ice melting smile. "Here, I'm done. Now you can fly again, Sasha."_

_But he didn't want to leave her side. She began humming a melody. He started to play with her hair, which went down straight, but curled up in the length .She didn't seem to bother, for she started to cradle his small figure. He could hear her heart beats. Such a calming sound. Slowly, he began to fall asleep._

Who was she? Why did she call him Sasha? Could she be...?

"Yuri?" He was awoken from the trance. "Dreaming awake?"

"Sasha...? She called me Sasha?"

"Who? Sasha is a girl's name isn't it?"

"Forget it... good night." He said annoyed.

* * *

"Fool? Where were you?" Sora asked the spirit. Both she and Rosetta had been looking for him for a while. They even considered not being able to see him now.

"Would you like to travel?" He just told them.

"Travel Fool? What do you mean?" Rosetta smiled to him, confused.

"Like once you've done my princess. Travel on my memories, through my mask. Let me guide you through space and time."

"Fool, are you fine? I mean, don't you feel like telling us to take a shower?" Sora asked him, uncomfortable. What could have changed Fool? He was acting almost like he did during the Princess and the Fool routine from the Kaleido Stage.

"No. I feel like asking you to help me fulfilling a promise I made years ago."

The girls could see by his face he was serious this time. Finally Rosetta answered "Ok, we can help you, Right Sora?"

The red haired nodded. The Spirit then took off the mask and told both girls to touch it when he said to. Soon they were transported to a snowy field. There snowflakes were pouring from the sky. The snowstorm began to get stronger, what brought them into a well-known building. On the room where now they slept stood two women, possibly studying, judging by the pile of books on the two beds. One of them had her black hair on a ponytail, and was looking puzzled at the sheets of paper in front of her. She spoke of not being able to get in the character, and how easy it was for the friend by her side to do that. "Even more when you have him by your side." She said, what made the other one blush instantaneously.

"Anya Osipova don't you say such stupidity!" The pale eyed lady stood up.

"What is the problem...You love him, why can't you accept it?"

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do, because you are crimson already. I can see it when you are on the stage. The whole atmosphere changes. The characters come to life."

"That is because he and I are just very good friends. He is kind, sweet, a fine gentleman... but IF I was in love with him... It wouldn't work anyway. By the way, where is your mother? This is becoming stronger and stronger." She pointed at the falling snow outside the building. "This way I won't be able to go home."

"You can sleep here in my room, or in my brother's room, he is not using it since he is in Ireland, remember? There is no problem at all and you know that. Funny thing: It's my mother who is outside and you are worried about her."

"Thanks Anya... What would I be without you?"

"You would be yourself ... But probably you wouldn't have a best friend." Young Ms. Anya was granted a pillow on her face from the last comment. "What? Just tell me, who apart from me and Grigory can handle you?"

The young woman seemed eager to say something, but her friend's malicious smile prevented her from doing so. She knew what her friend wanted her to say. "Very funny An."

Both ladies heard a door opening noise and went to the front of the house to welcome Anya's mother inside. But the surprise was the woman was accompanied by a known figure to them. Then everything went dark, and once again both girls were on their room.

"It's enough...by now."

"Fool... Why did you show us that? It's kind of meaningless..."

"Now it may not make sense, but soon it will. You just have to see through. Not everything is what it seems."

* * *

In her chamber, Anya watched the stars shining up in the sky. Tomorrow it would be the day, that fatidic day, when the world came down for them. The day when the Troupe lost its core, what now she tried to regain in all possible ways. Of course it was easier when you had someone to talk to and discuss. She stared at her watch. Midnight. She wouldn't call him now; it was better wait until tomorrow. Anyhow he would come. He always did on that day.

The two ladies and their knight, once they had been nicknamed. Later on they became the companion lady, the princess, the knight and the dragon. Now what were they?

"The lady, our lost queen, her faithful knight and her angel." She giggled as the breeze that was smoothly coming through the window intensified itself.

"_You are an angel, did you know that?"_

"_No angel for me Anya... All I have been doing here is to cause problems to everybody, meaning you know who. If I am an angel...I am a fallen one."_

"_Ok... what do you want to be called then? Aren't we going to use secret names from now on?"_

"_Hum... I don't know... We have The Princess..."_

"_Ahem... you mean Your Princess, with YOUR in capitals."_

"_Very funny, Lady...but yes, and no. I'll never have this full honour. That is why I envy her knight."_

"_I knoooooooooooooww, MASTER YANKEE."_

"_Now that was depreciative and not a secret name at all."_

"_A Dragon... dragons always guard the fortresses where princesses are kept in fairytales..."_

"_So?"_

"_Well what if this dragon was not evil and fell in love with the princess? That is it. You are, from now on, THE DRAGON. Now...MASTER DRAGON, will you teach me that thing on the trapeze, please?"_

"Okay... no angel for you... you can be the Sky Dragon, what do you think of it, Master?" The breeze smoothed once more. "Good night then. And as you can see, and I know you can, I am trying hard to keep my promise."

The last lights that illuminated the night went out, and with them, the last eyelids closed themselves.

* * *

**READ ME**

**READ ME**

**Everyone is reading? Great.**

**I come through this note to justify some stuff.**

**I'll take longer to update now because of school... too much work to do, and I want to keep my grades high ^_^**

**I hope you understand, and as soon as I can I'll be posting more!**

**SEE YA!  
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**That is it... and you can review too by pressing the button down here =3**


	13. April 21st  Part 1

**Sorry for taking so long, but here I am!**

**This one is pretty short, but the next ones will be bigger, I hope.  
**

**By the way, my new twitter is LuuCorazza  
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**Enjoy.**

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At the Carnation Troupe house, everyone gathered slowly to have breakfast. Anya found it one of the funniest moments in the day: to watch everybody's sleepy faces and messed hairs appear in the door. Sora, as always was already cheering everybody up with her natural joyful personality. The Kravchenkov sisters arrived not long after their breakfast, but this time, they weren't alone. A tall masculine figure accompanied both girls. He had crimson hair, pale icicle blue eyes and wore a black suit. He greeted Anya respectfully, and the woman repeated the gesture.

"Morning, Sir Grigory." The Carnation troupe members welcomed the man reverentially. At the sound of that name a cold feeling went down Sora and Rosetta's spine. They had heard that before, during Fool's back in time.

"Morning children. Do I see new faces here?" He asked smiling.

"Yes, yes dad... they are from the Kaleido Stage, now... could you please go?" Annika said impatiently.

"No, I am here to solve some matters I have pendent with Anya … Pretend I am not here." He tapped her head, smiling.

"Grigory, shall we? We have a lot to discuss. Yelena, you are in charge now. Make sure your sister does nothing stupid." The director said, opening the door. On the other entrance, Yuri stood eating an apple.

"Hey, Ms. Anya! Really, what is up with all of you today? And why is my partner with a wrapped hand? WAIT... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR HAND?"

"Hey, keep cool, I can still rehearse." He said, chewing another piece of the fruit.

"YOU BETTER."

Yes, that would be a long training section.

* * *

"Sixteen years huh?" The Russian man sat on a chair.

"Yes. I was really surprised Lana allowed the girls to leave home today." Anya opened the curtains from the big room. As light wandered inside, the unfinished flower pattern of the walls could be seen. There were all kinds of flowers painted to the wall, what made it look like you were inside a real garden. "I had always wanted to see this finished, but I don't think it will ever be." Through the glass windows, the training room could be seen.

"Who said she allowed? She was still asleep by the time we left" He laughed. "In fact, I guess that she only fell asleep one hour or two before I woke up." He touched one of the flowers on the wall. A white rose. " I believe she saw the Spirit of the Stage again a couple of nights ago."

Grigory himself had seen the ethereal being once, but now time had passed for him. Now he was almost sure he wouldn't ever see him again. He leaned to the glass, to watch the training. It seemed like it was yesterday that that act was being planned. "The resemblance is amazing, isn't it?" The woman took him out of the trance.

"Indeed. He is just like his father, except for some traces..."

"Stage presence?" She smiled. He indeed had his mother's strong presence on the stage. I seemed like a spell being cast. When she stepped onto the stage, every single eye on the audience was hypnotized.

"Not so strong, but yes, a bit of that too."

"Oleg must be livid, knowing he is prone to fail. Do you think he may try something?" The woman inquired.

He took a deep breath. "I don't know what goes through his mind, but I believe so. That is Lana's fear all the same." He looked once more to the window. Annika was trying hard to twist, but all she did was fail. She is determined, but the Dragon Flight wasn't made for her, and he knew that. _The Dragon can only coexist with The Angel. _He just wished he could tell her that without having to justify. She was far too curious to accept something without a concrete reason. "What has happened to his hand?"

"My mother's vase made another victim." They both laughed out loud.

"It's been years since we hadn't had such a happy April 21st ."

"Agreed."

* * *

"She is not going to make it until the deadline, want to bet?" May stated. She had been watching all the trainings during her breaks. She had been training a new manoeuvre with Rosetta specially for the play.

"Don't be so mean May ! She is trying hard!" Sora retorted.

"Sora." Layla turned her blue orbs to the girl at her side. "I agree with May."

"Layla-san?" The pink haired young woman seemed startled by her former mentor's affirmative.

"She may do it someday, but not now, with such few time and under pressure." The blonde said. "Still, didn't you find it awkward?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Yelena. I think we all could see the flight is not one of the easiest performances. Whereas her sister is giving everything she has to do it, Yelena simply stepped on that stage and did it, as if a toddler could do so. It seemed so... well too much."

"I was surprised too, judging her reaction when Annika first tried it out. She reminded me of Yuri-san when we were doing the Legendary Manoeuvre." Sora said, smiling.

"Yes, she did indeed. I implied it to him that day, but I guess he was a bit worried if Annika would cope with the facts."

"I guess you should stop for a while." Yelena shouted to her sister and to Yuri. She could see he wouldn't handle that training much more due to his hand. The bandage was already beginning to rip off, and the wound would get worse.

"But... I can't do it yet! And we haven't got much time!" Annika retorted. Yuri threw himself on the net.

"Yes, but you can't do this alone, can you? You need a partner Annika... the world is not about you only! You need your partner to be in good conditions to perform!" The lilac eyed answered calmly.

"I know... but... but..."

"I have an idea." The previous phoenix of the Kaleido Stage spoke. "Why don't you perform it instead of your sister, Yelena?" The youngest Russian was going to say something, but was prevented of talking by her sister. Then, Layla continued. " Annika, you are a amazing performer, be sure of that , but the thing is that there are some manoeuvres that are meant to certain performers only. Your sister can control her centre of balance in order to twist correctly. It is something of her own, as she said herself, and that is why is so difficult for you to do it. Can you understand?"

Suddenly, the strong and determined trapeze artist seemed to have calmed down. She just nodded with her head. Yelena hated to see her sister like that. But the truth had to be told, that was what she had always thought. She had never liked to see anybody of her family hurt or sad.

"We will discuss this later... Now, we all should really take a break." The pianist said. " We are not in the army, but... REST. I have always wanted to say that! " She looked at her sister, who had gone to talk with her former partner, Domminick.

"I need to talk to you ." The Spirit of the Stage called to Sora and Rosetta. " Bring Layla too, please."

The girls nodded.

"Good, I'll be waiting outside, in the garden."

* * *

"Hm... Layla-san, so you can see Fool again?" Sora asked as he three of them sat in the emerald green grass.

"Yes. I found it out last night. So, why did you call us out?" The blond asked him.

"I need to show you something." He answered.

"We are travelling again?" Rosetta inquired, excited.

"Travelling? What do you mean?"

"Fool is taking us to the past Layla-san!" The red-haired said.

"Yes, and I thought you could help. Shall we?"

Saying that, he once more took off his mask, and they flew back into his memories, into the memories of his protected ones. Performers, just like them.


	14. April 21st Part 2: Into the past

**Hi everyone... It's been some time!**

**I may take long, but be sure I'll never abandon this fanfiction until it is ended.**

**Thanks for reading, Kaleido Star does not belong to me.**

**AAND you all thought I'd forget? Merry Xmas for you all! And a New Year full of happiness!**

**Enjoy!**

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Sora, Layla and Rosetta were taken into an empty open area. They recognized it as the back of a playschool, judging by the variety of children's playthings spread through it. They couldn't feel the weather, for they were just immaterial beings on that realm, but judging by the movement of the trees, it should be windy and cold. The trio looked inside the building through a window, and they saw one woman, presumably one of the teachers, putting the toys in order. Probably all the children should have been gone by that time. It was then when Rosetta called her friends' attention to a small table on the corner of the room, where there were sitting two children. They were playing with crayons and drawing, when the girl came closer and told them something that the trio couldn't understand, but both of them stood up and went running to the outside where the performers stood. The kids ignored the other playthings and went directly to the swings.

Looking closer, they could see they were a boy and a girl, but aside that they looked identical, except from the fact the girl had her hair a bit longer, in the same tone of pale blond as the boy's, and her eyes had a little lighter colour if compared to his. Twins. But what surprised them even more was the accuracy of the synchrony they displayed with their swinging, although they were directing themselves to opposite directions. They were having so much fun; it was all a game for them. But the way the little boy smiled, the way the wind played with his fair hair as he swung gave away everything.

"Fool... is that...Yuri?" The blonde woman queried the Spirit.

"Well, I think that you should now, don't you agree? But yes, it is the little prince." Fool smiled.

"How do you get those? I mean... so you have known Yuri since his childhood? Master Fool?" Rosetta asked him.

"It was a promise... I made to their mother when they were born. If one day, she or Aaron wasn't there for them, I should protect them, together with their godfather and godmother. And I should also do another thing... but that is between me and them." He answered.

"So she is really his sister?"

"Not only his sister, but his twin sister. And don't underestimate this fact, for twins have a different bond from simple siblings."

Suddenly, a noise was heard and a tall figure entered the playground. He had strawberry-blond coloured hair and the characteristic violet-bluish eyes his son had inherited. Aaron Brass. As the twins heard their father's footsteps, they glimpsed at each other and jumped from the swings when those were on the maximum height they could reach with their strength. The height enabled them to perform characteristic jumps to land on the ground. Yuri made a mortal jump and a twist, landing perfectly straight on the soil, while his sister performed a mortal jump all the same, but her twist had a small irregularity on the balance shift, which made her landing accurate, but unbalanced, what was in time supported by her brother, preventing her from falling. Aaron held each child in one of his arms. The twins then sat one on each of his shoulders, and that way they left the place.

"Let's go home then kids? Mommy is waiting for you, and we can't be late, because we have to get ready for Christmas!"

"Oka." They answered in unison.

"Great, now take your hands out of papa's eyes, otherwise everybody is falling down." He laughed out loud, and the children also giggled.

* * *

Something wasn't right. She couldn't possibly have been rejected. Ridiculous. So now just because she couldn't twist like her sister did, she couldn't do that manoeuvre. Yelena, or even better, Miss Perfect. Every single thing she set her fingers on would come out brilliantly. Suddenly Annika wished her sister lost the challenge to their cousin Ivan. _Alright, not that much. _Her sister was still preferable to her cousin. Still, couldn't she do something wrong, just for a change?

The middle Kravchenkov child heard steps behind her and turned to have her eyes meeting her partner's.

"What are you doing here? I don't need your help. I need no-one."

"Who said anything? I am just appreciating the view. Your father went home I suppose. He said something about picking up your brother to watch today's performance." It was almost sunset, one of Yuri's favourite times of the day to watch the sky. He sat by the girl's side.

"Oh, yes. Little monster was allowed to come. Humph."

"That is not a nice way to qualify Andrei. If he was a little monster, he would have already told mom we are here, but he didn't." Yelena leaned to one of the walls.

"Don't they need you inside there? The training is still on and you were responsible, weren't you, Miss Perfect?" Annika growled, without looking at her sister.

"Nope. Actually, I am in charge of your training only. The Kaleido artists are big enough to take care of themselves." Yelena stated calmly, sitting by the younger's other side, and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Get away! You shouldn't bother with me really. You BOTH should be training, now that I was discarded, don't you think?" she stood up and walked a bit away of where they were. "Oh yes, I forgot I am talking to Ms. Perfect, who knows how to do everything. She can play the piano, she can twist, she can even get in perfect synchrony in the first time she is sharing the stage with a guy she doesn't even know. Can't you fail, at least once, so that I can feel like I am not trash?" Tears went down her eyes, which were now deep purple due to the way light reflected on them

"You don't know what you are saying. You are not trash, not at all. You are minimizing yourself. You have great potential. I can't play the violin as you do. I can't do many things you can. Don't cry. You agree with me don't you, Yuri?"

The lad looked up at the clouds. "You know, Annika, I was astonished to see your performance the day I was assigned your partner. I had expected much less, concerning the fact you had never left the country and you had the pressure of doing all of this hidden from your mother. You are incredible, and it is not a manoeuvre that will prove the opposite. In that point I agree with Lena."

She laughed ironically. "What do you know about it? You must have been the spoiled only child who would always have someone at your side, even after your father died. You surely had your mother close, or a grandmother, WHATEVER. But surely they wouldn't be sickly protective and you hadn't got to share your attention with two others. You didn't have an over talented older sister."

"ANNIKA! You are being indelicate to him. He doesn't have to speak about it. You can't just re-open people's wounds to feel better!" Yelena shouted. That was enough. Yet he insisted on answering back.

"Yes, you are right. I might have been spoiled, but you have friends who are always there for you. You have had company to talk about what you feel, knowing they wouldn't look at you with disdain and walk away just because you were half-Russian, and not American. You had a mother and a father to clean up your tears, and you had a sister to help you when they weren't close. I had a grandmother, who was great for me, I can't deny or say anything rude about her because she was and still is the person who made me who I am, who fought for me, who helped me when no one else would. I had a mother who I remember nothing about, because we were put apart when I was around three I suppose. But yes, keep going... I know nothing about being the second child, so what should I say, right?" He played with the knot of the bandage that covered his wound. It would be soon time to change it again. "If you excuse me, I have to change this."

Yelena held him back. "I'll help you."

* * *

"Now I ask you to pay close attention." Fool told the trio. They followed Aaron, Yuri and his sister to a house. It wasn't a big one, just enough for a family to live in, surely not like the Hamilton's chateau or Ms. Maryann's manor in France. But even though, the beautiful gardens full of white roses and other flowers, whose vines grew onto the wall, gave it a singular beauty. Also, two trapezes were built. They were a miniature version of the real ones, made from wood and ropes. On the entrance of the house, there was a table where two women were drinking tea, and by their side there was also a pram. One of them was easily recognized by all of them, Anya. The other one was the same Sora and Rosetta had seen on their last trip with Fool. Somehow, looking at her closely as they were now, she seemed quite familiar. She wore her long hair loose and smiled playfully, probably because of something her friend had told her. Yuri and his sister then came from behind and covered her eyes.

"Who's that?" They asked her.

"I don't know... let me see..." she put both of her hands onto theirs. "I don't know whose small hands are those, Anya, can you help me?"

"No, she can't, find out by yourself." Aaron told her. He sat close to the pushchair and played with the baby inside.

"Who asked you? This is between me, Anya and these four hands." She let her tongue hang out, which caused the children to laugh out loud. "Aha! I know these... could they be my two babies, Sasha and Taliya?" They took off their hands from her eyes and she put both of them on her lap.

"Aaron, have you, by the way, washed your hands before playing with the baby?" The twins made him a reprehensive face at the same time their mother made that question.

"You all can stop being so overprotective. A bit of dust or whatever won't kill her, will only stimulate her immunologic system, isn't that right little one?" He held the girl on his arms. She had violet-bluish eyes just as her father and strawberry blonde hair. She gripped his finger with her small hand.

"Just as not wearing a coat will make your body get used to cold weather?" She asked him annoyed, and Yuri smiled. _Now I know from where that came from._ Layla thought.

"You can say that too. Your health wouldn't be so delicate if your parents had allowed you to live more freely, Princess."

"I am not arguing with you... Now, why don't you and Yuri go take a shower?"

"Mommy... now?" He pouted and crossed his little arms onto his chest. "Why don't you and Nena go before?"

"Girls don't get dirty as boys!" The little girl told him.

"Mommy, she called me dirty!" He filled his cheeks with air, but his mother kissed both causing him to let the air out.

"Okay, you know what? Only Annie will get her Christmas present, because none of you wants to be ready... Of course that is not my problem... You have been warned."

Immediately, Yuri jumped off her lap and pulled the sleeve of his father's long sleeved shirt, telling him to go quickly.

"Wait just a second, Papa is going... One second won't prevent you from winning your Christmas gift! Hum, talking about that, why don't you two show mommy and Aunt Anya what you made up today?"

The twins looked at each other and went to the trapezes. They swung themselves with sophisticated ability, surprising for someone of that age. But, coming to think of it, it was natural for a child to learn quickly from his or her parents manners. The girl jumped and twisted giggling, stretching her arms so that they could reach her brother's. Funnily enough, it reminded them of the Dragon Flight. Their mother and Anya applauded them happily. His mother's smile was just like his, snow melting, bringing happiness out wherever inside you it could be hiding.

"Time to go back." Fool said, making the whole scenery disappear by their very eyes.

* * *

"Grigory... are you sure you are taking him today there? I mean... it's today." The Ballerina asked him as she combed her shoulder-length hair. She saw him nod through the looking glass.

"You know you can't keep blaming the circus for all that happened." He said, looking at his watch. "Andrei, go faster! You don't want to be late." He shouted, and smiled as he heard a fade 'I'm coming.' from another room. "Do you need a ride, Lana?"

"No, I'm fine... do you know where can Lena possibly be? She was supposed to play today at my class... and Annika? She is not here either, and she had to practice her violin playing if I remember well."

"They should be coming soon..." He breathed deeply.

"What is that deep breathing? You know where they are, don't you?" She seemed panicked.

"Yes, I do. They are just where they should be." He told her, enigmatically.

"Grigory... are you trying to tell me something?" She seemed even more startled.

* * *

"I am truly sorry because of what my sister said." Yelena apologised. "What she does is not fair."

"She is just upset. Even more, I've been through this situation many times, don't worry about me." Yuri tranquilized her.

"I know is a lot of pressure. I can't blame her for what she feels. I just wished she could do the twist and everything ended well." She continued as she cut a bit of gauze to cover the wound. "How in the world could you do that with a vase?" He gazed down to his hand. She was so delicate that he had even forgotten he had got his hand hurt.

"It broke in my hand. I guess I overreacted a bit during a conversation, and that is the result. With whom did you learn to do that so well?"

"Well, Grigory is a doctor, so he taught me how to do it, and also, as the older sister, with busy parents, I usually had to take care of Annika and Andrei, although we still had the maids, I took care of most of their bruises." She smiled, and took a strand of hair away from her forehead.

"You usually call your father by the first name?"

"No... I couldn't call my father by any name actually." Her eyes saddened. "Grigory is not my real father, neither Annika's. That is the bad thing about being too curious. You find out things you shouldn't."

"I understand."

"But that doesn't really upset me. There, all safe and sound." He realised her hands slightly trembled. "Okay, who am I trying to deceive, of course it matters! I have always wanted to know where he was, to hear his voice, to know if he was even alive! I barely remember his face. When you told Annika about your mother, it reminded me of that. I overheard my mother once, that's how I came to know about it, but still, I couldn't bear to keep listening, so I left the place. Funny to see it that way, but we are, after all, in the same boat." He put a hand onto her shoulder.

"Okay, thanks for telling me our father is NOT our father! I am really glad you have done that Lena." An angry Annika appeared on the door. "How come you tell him and not me?"

"I didn't want you to suffer like I did when I found out."

"Your sister is right Annika." He stated.

"Ok Mr. Perfect, be her brother then, if you understand her so well. I just came to remind Yelena that we have to go home now, in order to make our alibi work."

Soon as she finished talking, they heard a car door slamming, and out went a couple and a boy, around ten.

"Uh-oh, too late. Prepare yourselves for the hurricane." The older Kravchenkov girl said, gulping. "You wanted to see me in trouble, now you will, Annika."


	15. April 21st Part 3: Tension

**Ta-Da! I am alive!**

**Well... here is one more chapter, and a key chapter for the whole story, that, by the way, is coming to an end...**

**I hope you like it, and I'll come back with more updates as soon as possible. But it will probably take long... T-T**

**Read and Review. Kaleido Star does not belong to me, otherwise Yuri would have a proper Background Story XD.  
**

* * *

She couldn't believe it. He knew what had happened and even then he had helped her daughters cover up their bond with the circus. It wasn't fair. But life isn't fair. She slammed the door of the car as she left it, and stood face to face with the building. It had been that same day, but she didn't care anymore. All she wanted was to take the girls out of that place, out of danger and leave, this time to never come back. A chill went involuntarily up her spine. She wouldn't lose anyone else. Not again.

Grigory strolled behind his wife, holding their son by his hand. Sooner or later she would have to face it, and on this case, the sooner, the better. He realised the boy was frightened. Of course he would be, for he had never seen his mother so angry. But Grigory had, many times. So many he had even lost count of it.

The ballerina reached the door of the house and rang the bell. She was received by her old stage companion, Anya.

"Where are my children? Just answer my question." She said, piercing the other with her pale green eyes.

"Hello Svetlana, how are you? They are inside there. Don't be so harsh to them, please."

"You don't tell me how I am supposed to raise my children, alright? You are involved in this too, and don't think forgiveness will come that easy." She answered angrily.

"I never thought it would if you found out. But you know you can't get that away from them." The dancer's hands closed in a fist, but soon recovered.

She headed to the living room, passing among the performers as if none of them existed, or as if none of them was worth of looking at. Even though, her eyes scanned the rooms she went by carefully. She was emotionless as a crystal of ice, and just like it, getting close would burn you. Anya told the performers to go change themselves, for the performance would start soon. Meanwhile, the dancer's eyes met who they had been looking for. She realised the girls were going to say something so quickly she cut it out.

"I don't want to hear anything. Just come with me."

"No." Yelena answered firmly, holding her sister back. All of the remaining people stared in surprise, even her mother.

"Did you just go over my orders? You dare do that?"

"Yes. I am tired of being forbidden of doing something I love for unknown reasons, and so does Annika. Don't you believe it would be easier for us to understand your points if you told them out?"

"I have my reasons and you do not have the right to question them, and even more of speaking to me using that tone young lady! I want the best for you and that is all you should know. Now come."

"May I know then why not the trapeze is good for us? We are not reckless, we take care, we have ability and you know that, so why not?"

"Enough Yelena! Do you know what the problem is? When you learn to do something, you want to perfect it. When you learn to perfect it, it becomes too easy, and you want challenges. When you find challenges, you try them. When you perfect the challenge you want something even more difficult. By perfecting many of the m you come to believe you can take anything. When you find your limit, you want to surpass it, but you can't always do that, and at the very moment you find out you can't, it is too late." She sighed. "Please, let's go, shall we?"

"We have to perform. You could watch." Annika told her mother.

They had to perform. The situation was worst than she thought.

"I should have stopped you when I first saw the hard skin from using the trapeze on your hands. Or you think I hadn't realized? I just didn't want to accept it, that you two could be hiding something from me. None of you will perform tonight, tomorrow and never more, am I clear?"

"But mother..." Annika said worried. They had rehearsed everything, and changed the characters, and now that? She realized her sister was eager to answer back as well, but remained silent.

"No buts! You two will come with me right now."

"Alright, mother." Both of them said in unison, and headed away from the room.

From the gardens, Sora, Layla and Rosetta watched the women leave. They could recognize the ballet built silhouette of the girls' mother. Her hair shone with the light that gently touched it. Her face was marked by the weight of time. She opened one of the car doors and waited for both her daughters go in; as if she was afraid something could happen to one of them in the meantime.

"I don't like that... not at all." The blonde said. "I guess we should come in."

* * *

The way to the Bolshoi theatre was deadly silent. None of the girls would say a word, and neither did their mother. Annika leaned to one of the windows of the car and watched the sky. It was starless, and a light rain began to fall.

"Annika, can you please stop leaning on the door? It can open and you can fall and hurt yourself." Her mother finally spoke. She could see by the rear view when she sat back on the bank of the car, her arms crossed. "Thank you dear. Now, I have an important matter to discuss with you both. From now on, you won't ever step on that circus anymore. You will go with me to the Bolshoi everyday and watch the rehearsals, and you can both start dancing again if you wish."

"Mother, we are big enough to know the explanation behind this grudge against the circus." The oldest lady said. She had to measure all her words in order to prevent her mother from throwing a pit when she queried what she wanted to, but she had to know it. "Does that have anything to do with my father?"

"What do you mean? Your father is here, safe and sound!" Svetlana hated to show it, but she knew that, sharp as they were, her daughters should have realised her eyes dilate. Of course, she had taught them to be that way. Paying attention is the only way to avoid being tricked. She knew that all too well.

"Mom, Grigory is not our father, mine and Annika's, I mean. There is no way he could be. First of all, we look nothing like him, and second, I know our eye colour prevails over green and some blue tones."

"The reason why you do not look like him is that you resemble me, and second, you can say nothing concerning eye colours. Exceptions happen easier than you can possibly imagine."

"Will you come back to pick them up when the presentation ends?"The youngest asked, cutting the silence that went on after the last sentence.

"Unfortunately, I'll have to, right? Did you see him with any other mean of transportation?"

"No mom, I didn't."

"So there is your answer." She said sarcastically.

* * *

The three acrobats went inside the building, where a heavy atmosphere filled the rooms, intensified by the rain outside. The house was mostly empty, for many performers were on stage, but still, some of them were inside, as Marion, Mia and Elizabeth. Both writers complained about the fact they would have to change the plot. No doubt it had something to do with what had happened moments ago.

"What happened?" Sora asked, already imagining what the answer would be.

"Their mother found out they were performing hidden and prohibited them from doing so. I would be surprised if they ever showed up again." Elizabeth answered sadly. "Now we have to do multiple changes to the characters and I don't like that, because we have almost no time left!"

"Still... there was something she said that kept stuck in my mind: how could she know the difference from hard skin caused by musical instruments and trapeze? And also, if she had realized before that the girls were here, why didn't she stop them before? It is weird." Mia added.

"Yes, you have a point... and what about that whole speech about the problem with artists that don't know their limits and end up ruining their lives? She spoke as if the circus was a complete life-destroyer!" Elizabeth sighed.

"Well, it can be." Yuri said, entering the room. "Where have the three of you been? You disappeared after the training." He embraced his wife from behind and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"We were just taking a walk outside and chatting. You know we have been away for a long time and I needed to know the news." Layla told him, turning her head to meet his eyes. "Was the discussion tough?"

"I don't know... I didn't bother to hear it, but it was quick. Why are you three looking at me like that?"

They just couldn't help comparing the little boy they had seen that afternoon to the man staring now confusedly at them. The age hadn't changed much of his features, he had just grown sterner. Looking closer at his older figure, they could see some resemblances to his mother. Their hair was just about the same tone and he kept the same eye format, except for the fact hers were paler and greenish. But the rest of it was undoubtedly Aaron's.

"If you don't want us to look at you, you should start to wear a burqa when walking round the house." The blonde said crossing her arms, causing the other girls to chuckle, and granting her a narrowing of his eyes towards her. "There is no need for that." He alleged.

"Coming back to the girls' mother matter... There must be something we can do! We've seen their potential and how much they like the trapeze... it is unfair that they can't do it!" Sora exclaimed.

"What do you suggest then?" Yuri asked.

"Well, do something in the same style of what we did with you, but it will be hard because we don't know what really happened to make her so uneasy about the circus..." Mia said.

"Mia, I'll get some books to help us with ideas, just a second."Elizabeth rose from the sofa she had been sitting on and went to open a cupboard where there were many books arranged. She then put some of them on the floor and, when she was about to close it, some papers flew away, spreading all round the room, carried by the wind that penetrated the room through a small gap on one of the windows. "Great, now Aunt Anya will kill me! Could you help me picking them up please?"

Promptly, all the artists in the room went on gathering the flying leaves. Some were drawings, others texts and there were some photos among them too. One of them depicted a group of people in the same area as they were now.

"Look at that! These were the original members of The Carnation Troupe. Now she will definitely kill me for showing you this, but look, here she is, right beside my father and my mother. Here is Grigory, and by his side Domino and Domminick's parents, Mary and Igor, and Stellan and Lara's parents, Stefan and Tanya." Elizabeth looked intently at the picture, as if trying to find something. "Weird. I swear there were more people than just them in this photograph, but I must be confounding it with another one."

"Wow, look at these drawings! They are amazing!" Rosetta examined the sketches she had piled up. There were depicted mostly flowers: roses, daisies, azaleas, moonflowers, magnolias, carnations. There were also sketches of swans, dragons, and finally, people, mostly children.

"Whoever has done those could probably paint as well. Judging by the way the drawings were made, he or she probably used charcoal and later used the hands or a brush to give it this hazy effect." Yuri pointed out.

"Well observed young lad." Grigory stated. He was followed by Anya and Andrei. "I suppose you can do so as well."

"I do paint a bit. But I prefer depicting people."

"I see. She liked it too, but she used to say she wouldn't draw a person unless she could capture all he or she was feeling at the moment. That is why she liked drawing children so much, because they transpire feelings. Also that is why she liked painting and drawing flowers as well."

"Yuri-san, that is..?" Sora pointed out to one of the drawings, this one depicting a lad that should be just around their age, sitting on a trapeze, and looking tenderly at someone, probably to who drew the portrait, judging by his eye position.

"My father... Did you know him?" He saw the former circus artists nod in response.

"It's time for you to learn a new lesson, milord." Fool stated. "The one who shall teach you it is your own mother." His mouth went agape. It couldn't be. Hadn't the Spirit told him and Layla she was dead?

"Wasn't she dead? You told us she was gone years ago!"

"Is it Fool?" Anya asked not surprised. "Hello, wherever you are, and I hope it is not on my shirt."

"Eh? You could see him too?" Sora questioned. This situation was getting crazier the more they dug into it.

"All members of this team could. That is why they were so special." The Spirit said, smiling. "I guess you could help me explain it to them, Anya, and specially you, Grigory."

"He says you both can explain it to us." Yuri said.

The two former artists looked at each other, before saying anything. It was then Anya began.

"In order to tell you your story, we will have to tell you ours."


	16. Revelations

**Hiii, I told you I would try to be quick!**

**This is, I believe, the chapter before the last one T-T**

**But again... who knows?**

**KS and it's characters do not belong to me. Any resemblances to real facts are merely coincidence. This is a fictional story.**

**Then, let's go to the chapter! Sorry if it was too hurried xD... and for the many dialogues.**

**Wait, it is the last thing. For a better dramatic effect, read it listening to the movie The Sky Crawlers Main Theme. You can find it on youtube.  
**

* * *

"Andrei, why don't you go with Liza to take a walk around the building? She could show you the other rooms." Grigory said to the boy, while Anya looked at the girl in a way she could understand she should go.

"Come with me Andrei, I'll show you all the rooms, and the trapeze room." Elizabeth smiled to the boy, and offered her hand. Then, together they left the living room.

"So, where were we? Oh yes, at the beginning. We weren't always artists, you know. As the adults of our time used to say, we were just well-off children who had nothing else to do and kept playing with these things. In a certain way, it was true; it had never been our intention to become a circus troupe, for juggling, walking on the tightrope, using the trapeze, dancing, making other people laugh, was just our hobbies." Anya sat herself on the sofa and continued. "We used to gather ourselves sometimes in the Red Plaza during festivals and present our routines, although I never did much on those, for my specialty was the trapeze, which, as you know, is not something pretty easy to transport. I danced then. Grigory was our juggler, in his free time, and a doctor in making in his full time. My brother, Liza's father, used the tightrope, Igor, Domino and Domminick's father, was our clown, and Tanya, Stellan and Lara's mother, would dance together with me and your mother." She stared at Yuri.

"You mean-..." Rosetta was prevented from talking by Sora.

"One day, while we were presenting ourselves, this lad came and stood there, in the middle of the crowd to watch. That day, one of the ribbons from your mother's ballet shoes ripped up, and she almost fell to the ground. It was then that he jumped from there and prevented her from falling, maintaining a pose. She understood and did the same immediately, and because of that nobody realized the incident." Grigory explained. "After all people left, he wished us good luck and went away as well."

"The day after, when She and I were in our ballet class, our teacher, Ms. Kournikova introduced him to everyone. Aaron had been transferred from Paris school in order to learn acting properly and to learn, as we were told later on, to deal with time, in order not to get late where he should be. But of course, that wasn't his fault, was it, Fool?" Anya queried, making a reprehensive face.

"I declare myself guilty." The spirit replied, with crossed arms. "The one day he got late to his final audition in Paris, which was also a test, was my fault. They decided he had to be disciplined, so they sent him to Russia."

"Anyway, the girls were chosen to take care of him; after all, he was in an enemy country. In the beginning, we were pretty uneasy with the situation, especially Her. I will explain. Even inside our secret service, there is a predominance of families in certain hierarchical positions. The right arm of Viktor Mikhailovich Chebrikov, the chairman in that time, was Dmitry Aleksandrovich, her father. Dmitry kept being the second arm of the KGB even after the command was changed, until the organization was disbanded into the FSB and the SVR. Her brother was, at the time, the closest person to the head of the Seventh Directorate, responsible for the surveillance of Soviet nationals and foreigners, and part of the Border Guards Directorate. You see, they were one of, if not the most influent family inside the Secret service. Both She and I had grown up listening behind doors to the reunions when they were in her house. Asking us to protect the enemy was something hard to swallow, but it had to be done." Grigory told them, sighing.

"What happened next was that we realized that the enemy wasn't necessarily an enemy. Your father wasn't by far a CIA infiltrated. After all, what we were told was true. Aaron was a nice fellow, and, if you want to know, he was the one to give us the idea to create the Troupe. He was indignant with the fact we hadn't done it before, for Russia has a reputation for its circus artists. So, months later, we became The Carnation Troupe."

"All of you?" Sora asked.

"Every single one of us. Yuri, you thought the one person who drew those was a painter. She was. She painted the garden wall, or at least began it, and the other decorated walls of the rooms. All of us helped turning this building into the Troupe's HQ, as we call it. Being it painting the walls, constructing useful tools, each one of us left its mark on this building and in the history of this troupe .The biggest proof of it is the Remembrance wall."

"Remembrance wall?" All of them asked.

"Also known as Aaron's second biggest accident." Anya burst into laughing. "Once, She was painting and he came trying to scare her from behind, but she turned herself and they both fell onto the buckets of dye. He leaned to the wall with his hand to get up, and he left a handprint on it. She was so angry, but as always, everything ended up in laughter, and it became our Identity wall." She opened two black curtains behind their eyes and revealed a wall covered by handprints in various colours. Most of them were adult ones, but among were some childlike prints.

"_I want to be there too mommy. Why are you and papa there and we can't be?"_

"_Alright then, give me your hands, both of you."_

"_YAY!"_

The voices echoed in his head. The next moment he realized himself down on his knees, his right hand onto the small one printed.

"His second biggest accident?" The lad queried.

"Actually in order it is the second, but the first one in importance. It was getting involved with your mother. Sad as it seems... is the truth. But still, none of them regrets it."

* * *

_The wall was getting beautiful. It was, with no doubt one of her best works in that building. There was just one final touch needed and then it would be done. She felt something approach behind her. Damn it, why had she decided to watch that horror movie in the first place? She turned herself to see what that was..._

"_What the freaking hell? Whoaaah!"_

_Floor. She fell onto him and both onto the floor, among the buckets of paint._

"_Jesus Christ! Are you two alright there?" Anya went into the living room, followed by Grigory and the other members of the troupe. By watching the scene, they couldn't bear not laughing._

"_You should have seen your face." He kept laughing as he raised himself from the floor. "I guess I'll need another shirt."_

"_No, it is not alright! Not at all! Look what have you done to the wall! Now I have a big, dark green hand on my beautiful wall! MORON!" She got her paintbrush and painted his face in white. "Look, now you can be that Psycho guy, Bates, isn't it? Happy?"_

"_No. I would be if you were laughing." She got her hand soaked in purple dye and accidentally pressed it onto the wall. "See, now it is not my fault only, look what have you done!"_

"_You started it!" She began swearing in Russian, but making sure he would understand._

"_I know, I know, I love you too. I know how to fix it! Why doesn't everybody do the same thing? This way, we will always remember we were here."_

"_Do not try fixing your situation! But...I have to say it is a nice idea... Ok. It can be. I have to finish you now." She gave him a Machiavellian smile._

"_Pardon?"_

"_The movie was in black and white. Your face is white, your trousers are white and your shirt is black... but your hair is still blond."_

"_You are not serious."_

"_You bet I am. You know I am quite revengeful, don't you?"_

Ah Aaron... Why didn't you disappear when I told you to?

"You all take a break, will you?" She said to her students. "Annika, will you please take your feet off the seats?"

The young girl groaned as she did what she was asked to. Ballet was beautiful, it did, but it was so full of rules! Keep this pose here, that one there, don't move, you are not doing that right... Bleh! That was why she loved the trapeze. She could fly, and she liked that feeling, that freedom. The breeze on her face when she swung, it receiving her when she jumped and when she fell to the net, as if wanting to hold her close, and never leave her. Yelena left the stage, where she played to the piano and sat by her side.

"Do you feel it too? The breeze when you fly, as it wants to embrace you?"

"Yup. I couldn't have put it better." She stretched her hands.

"Sveta, how big was the scandal at the circus today?" The ballerina recognized the figure of her former ballet teacher by her side.

"I did nothing but the necessary. Who told you?" She said, without looking at the senile woman, who gazed at the sisters chatting on the first row of seats of the theatre.

"I have known you for far too long, and have seen you go through very much not to realize that. But you can't say anything... it was no one's fault but yours. Had not you wanted the parting to be so difficult to them, you would have done it before. But you couldn't, right? You know he wouldn't find it fair, and you tried not to do it. It is time for them to know Lana. Especially Yelena, or do you think Oleg won't use that against her?"

The Ballerina hated to admit it, but her former mentor was right, just as well as Grigory was. "Can you finish the class for me please, Ms. Anna?"

She headed close to the sisters. "Can you come with me please? I have to tell you a story."

* * *

"As a trick of fate, her partner from the Bolshoi stopped dancing, and Aaron took his place, but, you know partnership doesn't always stay in-stage, and yes, often blossoms off-stage too. When they least expected, they were spending more and more hours talking together, walking hand in hand. She realized, and tried more than once repeal it before it got too serious. But she couldn't. It was stronger than her."

* * *

"He was the sweetest, the funniest, the gentlest, sometimes the most annoying too, but he was the best partner I had ever had. Can you figure out why?"

"Mom... Did you love him?" Annika couldn't help not asking it. The passionate way she told them every single bit of the story allured that question into her head, and, judging by the way Yelena stared at her, it had come to hers too.

It had been the first time they saw their mother blush that way. Of course she also did when it was cold or when she got too angry, but blushing as that. It meant something else.

"I loved him with every single fibre of my body. Nowadays, people think that dancing is just about stepping on the stage, doing your show and leaving. But it is not. It is about telling a story, with your body. You don't have to smile always, but you have to know when to smile. When you dance with a partner, you have to allow people to feel the same way as your character. When you feel the same as they do, then it makes everything a lot easier."

"But what happened?" The older one queried, but she already imagined the answer.

* * *

"However, even from young adults as they were, you couldn't expect total carefulness." Immediately, all of the looks turned themselves to the couple of artists in the room.

"Why are you looking at us like this? Mind your own businesses!" Yuri said annoyed as both he and Layla blushed. "Continuing, please?"

"When she found out, she tried to send him away, although she didn't want to, but he wouldn't leave her, not like that. So they moved, to Saint Petersburg where they lived under other names. Your father had that hobby of playing with names and there he used it, changing their surnames. Then, in the night of the third day of the third month, you and your sister were born." Grigory stated that. "She almost died that night. Due to that, she made me, Anya and Fool swear that we would protect both of you, if one day, either she or Aaron weren't there for you anymore. She loved you more than anything else."

* * *

Yelena had herself sat on a chair in order not to fall. All of that seemed so unreal, as if it had jumped out of a novel she had been reading. But it was plausible.

"So... I have a twin brother... and this man... he is our father, isn't he?" Her mother just nodded.

"Why don't you say anything? Where is he?" Annika inquired. She needed to know more.

"I don't know. We lived happily for three lovely years. One day, we travelled to Moscow to watch a circus presentation, but you caught this terrible fever, and I stayed home with you and Annika. Your father went there with your brother. Grigory came here to help me taking care of you. Some hours later... I found it utmost weird they hadn't come back yet, and it was then some friends of ours told us the KGB had been doing a clean up there, and that they found your brother's locket in the middle of the snow. I told him he shouldn't go... I had a bad feeling about it, but he said he would be alright." Tears flowed unstoppably from her emerald eyes. "You wouldn't remember it... you were too young."

"I do. I remember faintly you were crying and Grigory was comforting you and you had the locket, the Kiryanov family locket. You gave it to him?"

"He loved dragons... It fit pretty well at that time. I couldn't ask your uncle for help, because, no matter how hard I tried to make him understand, he was still xenophobic. Well, that hasn't changed much by now."

* * *

"Those cowards. They dragged us against our will. They used me to get my father. They..." Yuri stopped on the act. The words echoed in his head.

"_You know…Don't get me wrong, it's just I can't allow half-blood children…" He then caught the boy by his turtle neck shirt. "to have the chance of taking a pure blood's place in a hierarchy."_

"_You are dirty…Don't you feel ashamed to hurt someone of your own blood?" Aaron answered._

Everything was crystal clear, and it was even more when he remembered the heavy conversation Anya had had with that man, Oleg, in the day they took a walk around Moscow. Could he be the same? Only if...

"She is my twin... Yelena... and Annika is my younger sister... that makes then, their mother my mother? He used me to get to my father... my own uncle!" He said sadly as Layla put a hand onto his shoulder.

"The path is revealed. The Ballerina becomes The Princess. Nice job, young lord." Fool said. "Only you can bring her back. Open her eyes."

* * *

**Read and Review, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?**


	17. Feelings

**Sooo I am here, back for your happiness!**

**Note: This fanfic will be extended because I couldn't fit everything in one chapter, which means... This is NOT the last one.**

**About it... Well was kind of difficult to write, because I don't have children so... Read and you will understand my point.**

**This was also one of the best ones in my opinion...**

**KS does not belong to me... Although I have fallen in love with Aaron Brass and Yuri Killian.**

**Now you are allowed to read xDD. Sorry.  
**

* * *

Wouldn't he ever be loved for what he was? In America they hated him because he was Russian. In Russia, they loathed him for being American. He thought about Yelena and Annika. They probably had no idea, just as well as he had not moments ago. Probably she had done that to protect them. His mother. So many years believing she had been dead. He wondered if his father would ever have told him had he not died that day. He wondered why his grandmother wouldn't tell him either. But he knew the answer. She had probably being afraid that he, on his independence would try looking for her, and hurt himself. He didn't know how to feel.

The worst was to explain what had happened on the night they were taken away from Russia. He had to search details where he could barely remember. Even worse was not to really know whether all of that had been really what happened or just something his mind had mixed up with other memories and strengthened by the bullying he had suffered when young. He watched as Grigory then joined each part of the puzzle easily. As his grandfather had accepted them as his grandchildren, his uncle had been afraid he might have, as the oldest grandchild, and as a boy, taken his cousin's place at the family company, place which his sister was disputing with him at that very moment. His uncle couldn't accept that the Soviet Union was deteriorating and that they had no other options unless accepting the changes, so, in secret he prepared a cleaning up operation to vanish the people he judged unworthy to inhabit their country, in which the child and his father were undesirables number one.

It had been that same day, sixteen years ago. He rose up from the sofa he had been sitting on. Probably it had been an off season snow that night, for it wasn't common in spring, even here, whereas the torrential rain that now covered Moscow was. Suddenly they heard a mobile ring. Grigory answered it promptly and all Yuri could hear was something as "we will stay here" and "don't worry". He had been so lost on his thoughts that he took some time to realize something pulling the sleeve of his shirt. He looked down to see his young half brother staring at him. Had he heard anything? Did he know they were related? In doubt, he decided not to mention it. He just kneeled down to meet the boy's pale green eyes.

"Hi." He said. "Andrei, right?"

"Hi." The child smiled to him. "Da. Yuri? Big sisters talk about you. They say you are nice."

"Andrei! Don't bother him!" They heard Grigory shout from the other side of the room, startling the boy, who blushed.

"He isn't bothering me. There is no problem." Yuri tapped his shoulder. He couldn't help imagining how his and Layla's son would be. Would he stare at him lovely as that boy did to his father? Would he be stubborn as his mother or overprotective as his father?

Layla kept sat on the sofa. Sora had more than once asked her to talk to Yuri, but she would not. Sometimes one needs to think alone in order to digest the facts. She too had been amazed by the complexity of the story. Living under the protection of her parents' house, she never knew really what was to go through real difficulties. Now she had a ghostly idea of it. What she really wanted was to hold him and help him to overcome it, to support him, just like he had done for her so many times. His stepfather and half brother would spend the night there, for the rain was too strong, just as well as his mother and sisters would stay in a neighbour house to the Bolshoi, not to use the car on that weather. She asked Anya why hadn't they told them before, but all she could get from the woman was that it was a complex matter, and dealing with Lana wasn't that easy ,just as well as dealing as Yuri wasn't a piece of cake. She then remembered Fool telling them that he was just like his father on the outside, but his behaviour was almost fully his mother's.

She watched him talk to the little boy. She had no doubt he would be a good father. The child moved in her womb. It wouldn't take too much now. She was almost on her thirty-third week, and they hadn't found a proper name yet. Who would imagine that such thing could show itself so difficult?

She then thought about her father. He should be coming back from a meeting in Japan right as she was thinking about him. She wondered if he would come to see his grandson, if he would ever see him as his grandson. It wasn't his fault that his parents had been so reckless. But again it hadn't been Yuri's fault his parents had been reckless and his uncle a monster.

_Don't worry baby, mommy and daddy will take care of you._ At least that was what she wished.

* * *

"Attention please passengers from the Flight 1803 to Cape Mary. We will have to make a stop in Domodevo airport due to the bad weather. We will accommodate all passengers in further flights scheduled to the morning. America Airlines asks forgiveness for the nuisance and we hope to see you in our next flights."

"He, It looks like we will have to stay here for the night." An old man with greyish hair said to the one next to him. The other man has his blond hair and blond moustache perfectly combed and suit neatly set to his tall figure.

"You are the only one to be happy about that Kenneth. I have another meeting tomorrow." He sighed, making a displeased face.

"Come on Kevin, it is not that bad. We can stay at a friend of mine's house. I know she won't mind at all." The old man replied.

"You will wake your friend up just to make her/him open the door to us? I guess I will stay somewhere nearby."

"I won't allow you to do that. By the way, tomorrow we can see some of the performers, who are here. It's been sometime since I haven't seen young Sora. I would like to see what she has new for us! "

The fair haired man looked down as the other rang someone with his mobile. "Kournikova there? Hello... you see... The plane couldn't keep on, and I am with a friend here... Ok, then we will be there in a while. Do Svidanya." The small man then turned to him. "All set up!"

* * *

Unlike she thought he would, Yuri fell asleep quicker than ever that night, like he had never done before since his nightmares began. Tonight, she was the one who was restless. She went down the stairs, to the kitchen. Sometimes, when she couldn't sleep as a child, her mother would give her warm milk with honey, what calmed her down and left her sleepy. Then she would tell her a story, while she would always sleep in the middle of it. Why did that house need to have stairs? Hers had too, but she never thought those would be such a nuisance to pregnant women who couldn't see their feet. That was something she hated about it. Reminder: tell Yuri to forget about the two floors house. No, they could put an elevator on it, much easier.

When she reached the place, she realized she wasn't alone there. Bright silver hair fell down the tall man's back, his violet eyes turned to gaze at her azure ones.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? Being awake like this is not healthy, neither for you, nor for your child." He told her. Since when had he become like this? Probably it had been Sora's influence over him.

"Even you Brutus? I couldn't fall asleep, any problem about it? That is why I came here to drink something hot. What about you?" She queried, sitting in front of him.

"I am just thinking about life. How is Killian doing? Sora told me briefly what happened." She realized some tenderness as he pronounced the acrobat's name. Could that be an evidence of his feelings towards her?

"He dealt with it better than I imagined. His family was always a hard subject to discuss. I just hope he recovers soon." Leon realized some weight in her words. It would be a tough time for both of them. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt a certain pity for him. None of them had had an easy life, but at least he had had Sophie for a while. He watched as the lady slowly got up from the couch and went on to the kitchen. "Is he moving a lot lately?"

"If lately you mean every single minute then yes, he does." She answered in astonishment. Was that really Leon? He smiled faintly back at her. As she put the milk onto a jar and on one of the mouths of the stove, she thanked Maryann for teaching her how to do it properly a hundredth times. Months ago if she had done it, Yuri would have to use the fire extinguisher as he did on the shiny day she decided she would be the one to cook their lunch. When it was ready, she poured it into two glasses. "Do you like honey?" She asked Leon gently as she got the honey pot from the cabinet.

"There was no need for doing one for me..." The way she looked at him made denying impossible. How could women be so powerful? "Just put a bit of it." He added, defeated.

They drank it and chatted for a while. Leon surely displayed fondness when talking about the Japanese girl. She remembered what had happened on Christmas' Eve when they acted together and he was Santa Claus. They had some chemistry, she could see it. Then probably, just as Sora, he wasn't ready to declare to her. Yuri hadn't talked to him as she had asked him to do, but she wouldn't blame him. Gosh, she had to do everything by herself! "You know... Sora is very fond of you too."

"I do know, but she deserves someone better." He said sadly, gazing at the empty glass in front of him.

"I see... Well... she likes you the way you ..." She suddenly felt dizzy, and jolts of pain went through her body. She instinctively placed her hand onto her stomach. Good thing she had been sitting, because her legs would surely have weakened. She felt Leon's arms on her shoulders. She thought having heard him whisper something, but then another contraction hit her. "Leon... could you ... please?" She hadn't finished talking, but he understood the message. She caught her and laid her down on the couch. _Damned may be the stairs._ She thought as he left up, hopefully to wake her sleeping husband.

Leon ran as fast as he could up the stairs, arriving on the room where the Russian slept, or that bump under covers would be just a bunch of pillows. He tried to pull the covers away, but all he could uncover was his pale blond head. _Goodness me... he is worse than a stone. _He heard a sound and moved himself to meet a half-asleep Sora's gaze on the door. Probably he had waked her up while running. She looked at him confusedly. He would do so if he was in her place. He was waking up his former nemesis, what else would he expect from a spectator?

"Killian." The French shook the other's body. No answer. "Yuri, are you dead? Okay I think I will have to help Layla giving birth because her lazy husband can't do so." It was the first time he had seen a man jump from his bed and get down to the living room, passing through the stairs in less than one minute. He would have taken even less if he hadn't stopped to tell Leon to call the director, Anya and stumbled on Sora, who took some minutes to process the information and went on to call Grigory, who, from what she had heard, was a physicist.

Liquid. Now it was truly happening. _Nice time you chose to be born son, in the middle of a rainstorm. _She couldn't know the time, but it should be around one or two o'clock in the morning. The pain wasn't much stronger than the one when she had hurt her shoulder; however this time it wasn't only about her. What worried her was the fact that the child was premature. She wouldn't bear if something happened to him. She sensed her hand being held, and opened her cerulean eyes to see her husband's greyish-blue ones. Although she would never understand the way his eyes changed colour, looking at them eased her down and gave her strength. She tried to say something but he put two fingers onto her lips. "It will be fine."

Yuri could feel she was nervous, and he was too as well, however he had to be strong, for him, her and the infant. "Leon is waking Anya up." She held his hand even tighter. That was one of the times he thanked God for not being a woman.

"Poor Leon... how much trouble are we giving him..." She mumbled and displayed a faint grin. He just rolled his eyes. However, he had to admit the French was being a precious help. He caressed her forehead gently. "You still find time to feel pity on him? Where is my Layla?" He realized someone was coming and he turned himself to meet Sora's chocolate eyes. She kneeled down by his side as the other Russian man entered as well. He examined her and said there was nothing to worry, they just had to wait. He tried to use the phone for something, but the signal was gone. _Great, déjà vu, but this time I know exactly what to do. _"Anya, can you find me some towels and warm water please?"

* * *

The rain was indeed strong outside. Yelena leaned on the bed of the room she and Annika had been given on Ms. Kournikova's residence, the same room where their father had once stayed while he lived in Russia. Coincidentally, some friends of their mother's former choreographer had also come to Russia on that same day... It seemed like it all wanted to engulf them at once. She wondered if their absence had represented too much nuisance for the other performers. Duh, of course it had. She thought about her twin brother, and wondered if he was even alive. She looked herself on the mirror, and tried to imagine how he would look like. The image that came into her mind was, surprisingly the one of her trapeze partner. She turned to her sister, who listened to music on her iPod. Although it was already past midnight, none of them could sleep. It had been too much to digest.

"Annika... what did Yuri tell you about his mother and father yesterday afternoon?"

"What... Oh yes, that he hadn't met his mother, his father was a trapeze artist as well and died when he fell from the trapeze, and that he had a sister..." She stopped talking; both sisters stared at each other with their mouths wide open. "He could be... couldn't him?"

"Yes... How couldn't I see it?" The older one breathed deeply. Her head ached.

"We should tell mom." Annika said, hopping from her bed. Yelena held her back.

"Yes, we should, but not now, and not this way. Let's wait until morning, shall we?" Her sister was right. She laid herself on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. "He loved the breeze... do you think it may be him, when we are on the trapeze?"

Yelena smiled. "I am sure of it." She stretched down on her bed and covered herself. "Good Night."

* * *

Kevin Hamilton couldn't stop thinking about his daughter. If the performers were around, they should be with them. One part of him knew he had been wrong, he should have supported her, but other said what he had done was right, and that she had to live with the consequences of her choices. He was too proud to admit his mistakes and to talk to her again, but he missed her, so much inside. It had been the second hole in his soul. The first one, her mother's death, and now that. He felt someone approach, and met the figure of a lady, just about his age, with shiny pale blonde hair and greenish eyes. Her shoulder-length hair curled up on the tips. "So you can't sleep as well?" She asked in a tired tone, with her heavy Russian accent. Of course, she should have that accent, after all she was Russian. Just like _He _was. In a strange way, she reminded him of his daughter's trapeze partner, lover and husband. Probably it was the impact caused by her presence.

"Yes. I am worried about someone..."

"I see. I am sure she will be okay. Your friend told me about your daughter." She said calmly. "You trust him, don't you?"

"Pardon?" The American replied, in surprise. She smiled.

"To let your only treasure under his care, you must trust him. If not, you would have found another way to teach her. I am wrong?"

He hadn't come to see it, but she was right. Since the day the lad had come to obligate him to watch the Legendary Manoeuvre, by opening his eyes to his daughter's abilities, he had started to feel confident about the boy. The present situation made him find the resemblance even more curious. She could read him as well, and he believed not being an easy person for doing so. "Were I you I would talk to her. I know you can't endure it anymore. I know from self- experience." She yawned.

"I may do that." He passed a hand on his nape. He felt something odd. As if Layla needed him. He would surely reconsider what the woman had told him.

"Good night then." She said, going to her chamber.

"Good night. Sorry, what is your name again?"

"Svetlana Kravchenkova." She smiled.

* * *

"You are doing really well, just keep at it." Grigory told the tired woman."When the next one comes, I want you to push with all your might." Layla nodded. Unlike other women, she wouldn't scream in pain or whine. Once in her life, she forced herself to do just as she was told to. Sweat beaded her eyebrows. Her legs felt numb once again, her breath shallow. She could see Fool slowly fade away.

It took her about ten pushes, and there he was, tiny, and perfect, delicate as a porcelain doll. "If he is crying, then he can breathe. There will be no further problems. That was my only worry." The doctor said. The newborn was soon given for his father to hold.

It was ironical. He had taught her how to hold a child, but he was afraid of doing so. (**A/N**: Remember Christmas News?) Even though, his voice soothed the child, as if a lullaby, causing him to stop crying immediately. He gripped one of Yuri's fingers with his petite hand. "Hi there, nice to meet you too." He bounced his finger and smiled. He had pale blond hair just like his, but his mother's beautiful cerulean eyes. Layla stretched her arms to receive the baby. She still couldn't believe they had been able to bring such a treasure to that world of theirs. All she wanted was to protect him and never let go. _Then that's what being a mother feels like._ She thought, remembering of her own, who she had lost so young. She bent down her head onto Yuri's chest. She could no longer control her tears. Tears of happiness.

Not long ago, she used to look sceptically at parents who gazed in that silly way when seeing their newborns, but now she couldn't help laughing when realizing she and Yuri were going through it at that very moment. Sora approached and kneeled down close to them. No matter how much she told her not too, the Japanese still felt such respect for the former trapeze artist that she still expected some kind of permission to come closer. "Sora, what are you waiting for, don't act so silly! Just the fact Yuri and I are doing so is enough already." She told her grinning caringly as their little one stirred in her arms.

* * *

Leon leaned to the balcony. He hadn't got the patience to stay inside. Right now what he could do was wonder about what Layla had told him. Sora loved him the way he was, but the question was, would it be the best for her to stay with him?

Sora had undoubtedly changed him. He would dare say he was coming back to the Leon he was when Sophie was still alive. He could see in both of them the same angelical spirit. Had she been there, Sophie would surely tell him to follow his heart. Heart. For years behaving as the God of Death, he had neglected his true feelings so many times he had already lost account of it. The rain had stopped and a gentle breeze blew through, touching his face and moving his silver strands of long hair.

"Catching some air Oswald?" The former male star of the Kaleido Stage stood close to him, his hands on his pockets.

"Shouldn't you be inside there with Layla?" The French queried, annoyed in a certain way. It still wasn't easy for him to chat normally with Yuri after what had happened to his sister. He still hadn't fully forgiven him, and judging by the other's behaviour, he knew that all as well.

"For what? Sora is with her. I guess I would only disturb both of them conversing were I there. I learned not to put myself into women's conversations." Yuri lifted his head and allowed the wind to caress his face, just like his father used to do. How he used to love blowy weather. _I fly soon I am free... One day you will understand it. _"By the way, I would like to thank you. For everything."

"It was nothing. You would have done the same." He replied.

"I was reluctant about Sora and you. Or you think I hadn't been paying attention to it these days. Of course Layla guided my looks to it, but I would have realized sooner or later. She asked me to talk to you days ago. As I said, I was reluctant. I didn't want to act as the boring and annoying guy that disapproves everything. But now I see I was wrong. I wouldn't ask for anything better." He said looking at the girls through the door of glass that leaded to the other area. Leon had his eyes wide. He couldn't expect such thing from the Russian. On the other hand, having his approval meant he was probably on the right path. "That day before the opening of Swan Lake, I told you we were just disposable parts of the show, that they needed us as a support. You then answered we behaved as angels. I agree in a way. But I believe, however, they keep being our angels. I don't think I'll ever truly repair my mistakes with you, but I hope this can be accepted as a start."

"You are such an idiot Killian. I can't forgive you now." He said harshly. "I have already done so." He reached out his hand for the other to shake.

Layla saw both men coming in and had to smile. He had done it. She hadn't even told him a thing and he had done it. The soothing breeze of the night went gradually in. The child in her arms moved its minute hands as if trying to clutch it. She chuckled as she saw it. "So you like the wind too? Daddy knew someone who did so as well." She cooed. "Would you like to hold him, Sora?" The Japanese blushed. "O-okay! It can be..."

Something warmed the French as he saw that scene. "Oh yes... there is one more little thing. You two better become very close, for I don't want my son to have quarrelling godparents. Do you think you can do it?" Yuri told him in a low voice tone. "Don't stand there as an idiot. I told you in this tone for it to be discreet."

* * *

Yuri watched his wife and child in their slumber. He still couldn't quite believe what had just happened, but it had. He felt the presence of the Spirit of the Stage inside the room. "He resembles a lot you when you were a newborn. Your eyes shine... have you maybe understood what your angels are?"

"Maybe." He smiled as he touched gently the child's forehead.

"You want to wake him up then? You have serious problems Yuri." Layla said in a half-asleep voice, her eyes closed and her hand placed onto his.

"We haven't named him yet... Boris."

"Very funny... But I have the perfect name, and I know you will accept it."

"You are so sure of it. Try me!" He said, challengingly. She then went closer to his ear and whispered something that made his eyes dilate in a mix of surprise and happiness. "Are you sure? I mean..."

"I am. We will be blessed if he turns out half as brave as your father was."

* * *

**The review button is down here...**


	18. Я Скучал по тебе, мама

**Hey guys! Finally an update.**

**Kaleido Star does not belong to me.**

**Enjoy.**

**Uh, and I managed to find Aaron and Lana's soundtrack xD**

**www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=9FKGwkj0YFw**

**Read the Lyrics in English. **

**XVIII**

The Spirit of the Stage sat in one of the trapezes from the practice room. So many memories were nested on that place. He laughed internally. On that country. He remembered the day they had been building those trapezes. He remembered each single manoeuvre planned for them. He could remember the good times, but also the bad ones.

_He could never imagine one day he would see her like that. Her breathing became more and more shallow. Her skin, paler, her body, weaker._

_The lad next to the spirit closed his bluish eyes as he held her hand. Fool knew he wouldn't accept if anything happened to her. He raised himself from the chair he was sitting._

"_What are you doing?" The ethereal being asked the young man, who seemed far too calm for someone who had just become a father and was almost losing his wife due to that fact._

"_Providing that my children do not become orphans." He came close to the bed, and lifted the lady's weakened body. He remembered her words: "I don't want to leave here... Whatever happens. It can be dangerous." He sighed. "I promised I would protect you and our children. That being, I'll not obey your orders." Her body felt as light as a feather as he held her, rushing to the opening door. As he was to reach it, he bumped into something. He glared at the one in front of him._

"_You don't think you are going to do this alone, do you? They wouldn't let you in that hospital not even if you were painted red, and you need someone who can drive properly in a frozen and slippery road." Aaron breathed down. He glanced at his back and saw his friend's concerned look. "Anya, can you take care of the babies please? We will be back, all of us." At least he hoped so. He couldn't imagine himself as a single father. He wasn't ready for it. Would he ever be? He just wanted all of that to end. He felt his hand being touched. "We are going too. The girl seems to be fine, but the boy is as feverish as Lana."_

_The ice pierced his skin as they left to the car. The American sat on the backseat, holding his wife's body close to himself, while the other one took the lead on the driving seat. Anya sat herself on the backseat as well, holding both small newborns. They had decided to take both of them in case something worse was hidden by the fever. It wasn't a good idea to leave in the middle of a snowstorm, and all of them knew it. Grigory took utmost care and went as fast as he could without leaving the road and crashing into anything. He felt guilty. He couldn't stop linking the fact that if he had been more experienced none of that would have happened. "Look, I am sorry." He spoke with his heavy and worried accent. The other man stared at him. "It's not your fault. You wouldn't harm her even if you were tortured. You are her best friend. If there is anyone to blame, that person is me. You are her best friend... I am an intruder that should never have existed."_

_The strawberry blond caressed the woman's tired face. She was feverish again. "You may be an intruder, but you are the only one she has ever truly loved. If anything happened right now, she would be glad to have been on your arms."Anya said, cooing to the children. The glass of the car was getting more and more blurred by the snow. Luckily their driver had been trained. Oleg's torturing driving without eyes exercise had been worth it. He shivered from remembering it. How many times had they almost died doing those? He had even lost account of it. "Is the fever back?" The American nodded. "We are almost there, don't worry." Grigory answered disturbed._

_Finally, they managed to arrive at the place. Next step: Getting into it. They knew the doors were electrical and were prone not to open if energy was gone. Luckily, unlike on the couple's house, it wasn't. The Russian took the girl's body from the other's arms. "I'll try to get her in, then Anya, wait some time and come too, we can't give away that we are together. If everything goes right, we will try to get you in Aaron." The blond nodded. It broke his heart not being able to be close to her and do anything, but in that country, he was useless. "I understand."_

Fool thanked this time everything had gone well. He knew Yuri wouldn't be able to hold his feelings back and act rationally. He knew it, because Yuri was just like his mother. He was explosive as his mother and impulsive as his father. He stared at the sleeping couple. They would go through a lot. But they were together and nothing could break them apart.

Annika woke up early that day. She looked at her sleeping sister on the bed nearby. Lena indeed resembled her partner. Yuri. She wanted to tell Lana everything. Annika tried to imagine how hard it should have been for her mother to cope with the facts.

The girl left the chamber and went out to the building's living room. She sat on a chair and looked at the pictures onto the drawer. Tried to picture her father's true image, but it was all in vain. The parental portrait she had was Grigory's. She could see the redhead playing with her dark blonde hair, tucking her in bed and easing her when she cried.

The sun was slowly rising. She was watching the darkness of the night give way to the morning light when suddenly everything around was blacked out by two hands that gently covered her dark violet orbs. "Guess who is that?" that soft voice played with her ears. The voice she had heard so many times in her life. Times harsh, others gentle, severe now and then, but always full of love.

"Mum! I need to talk to you! I really do!" The shout she gave forced the older woman to move her hands in order to cover the other's mouth for some seconds, almost falling of surprise on the process.

"Whoa, calm down young lady. You don't want to wake anyone up with this loud voice of yours. Moreover, we have plenty of time to talk; I won't disappear from one day to another." She smiled as much as her sleepy face could muster. She hated not getting the proper quantity of hours she needed to sleep, especially due to the fact that when she woke up in the middle of the night, she would hardly ever be able to fall sleep again.

"Mum, Lena and I know where our brother is! At least we think so..." She said, as her mother stared at her incredulously. That was what she had tried to avoid.

"Annika, I understand it was far too much to digest for once, and I can't blame you for that, but what I can't accept is this kind of situation. Your brother is gone."

"He is not! The guy is the same age as Lena and looks frighteningly a lot like her. His father used to be a trapeze artist as well, but he died falling from the trapeze. He couldn't remember his mother, actually, he assumes she is dead, I guess, and his father used to tell him dragon stories because he loved them as a child." Her mother's expression softened a bit. "I am listening." She stated, as her emerald eyes received the sunlight, causing them to glisten and created a violet spectrum over the green colour.

"He is nice... a bit overprotective... okay, very overprotective! And that is to others, because he tends not to look into himself and understand his own conflicts, from what I have heard. He just wants the best for everyone... on his own way."

"Where have you met him?" Svetlana queried. Stupid question. Were he their brother, he was his father's son. Aaron would always be where life took him, and deal with the advantages and disadvantages of it pretty well, unlike her. By doing that, most of the times he acted recklessly, what would often cause her to scold him for that. On the other hand, were he their brother, he was her son. The toddler she had taught how to walk. The little child who would want to give her a sunflower simply by the fact he had realized she was sad. The small boy who swore to grow and become strong in order to take care of them as his father would and once did. Stop. She didn't want to grow false hopes so she drove the thoughts away, or at least she tried to. She wanted it to be true, but the possibility of versa was too big to be ignored.

Annika calculated each word before saying. She didn't want more problems. "He is a performer." She tilted her head. Her father used to do the same when he wanted something. "We could go to the Carnation building to-day, you would see him!"

"Maybe." Svetlana answered calmly. The certainty on her daughter's eyes made her believe more and more.

_Hope is restoring Virgo's blinding radiance. Could you guide the stage once more?_

Sora stared at the sun rising as she stretched herself. Their time in Russia was almost over. The Japanese had to admit she had liked it. They had met a new city, new people, other performers... and could again see her old friends and help them. She was lost in her feelings when she heard a known voice call out to her.

"Hi Leon-san! You woke up early as well?" She said cheerfully.

'Sora... We need to talk." He said sternly.

"Alright..." What was wrong? It had been a long time since Leon hadn't used that tone with her. He approached her slowly. She could smell his French perfume. "Leon-kun?"

"I just want you to know... I care for you. I really do." His violet eyes stared lovingly at her chocolate ones.

"Leon-kun..." She looked down trying not to allow him to see her blushing.

"Sora... would you be my girlfriend?" He said, kneeling down and holding her hand. She just knelt down and buried her face on his chest.

"I would love to." She mumbled. She couldn't see it, but he had never worn such a smile in his whole life.

_Scorpio has found light and warmth in Sagittarius presence. Once again my fool has fallen in love._

Yelena rose slowly from her bed. She combed her long hair, her mother's hair, as many used to say. She dressed up her white skirt and her lilac blouse and went down to the dining room where the people were having breakfast. The rain had left water drops that fell from leaves.

"Good morning." She said calmly as sat herself down.

"Good morning young lady." The gray haired American greeted her. Kenneth was his name right? "Are you ready to go to the circus?"

"I am sorry sir, but I don't think I am allo..."

"If you are not, get yourself." Her mother's harsh voice demanded. "We have to get Grigory and your brother, remember?"

"We are going too! We have some friends to meet there, right Kevin?" The other man seemed annoyed as he nodded.

The ride to the building had never been so fast. She couldn't muster if that was because her mother wanted to get away as quick as she could... No, there was something else. She then realized her sister's look. She had told her. They weren't even sure and she had done so. What if it wasn't true? Their mother would be shattered to pieces. But something inside her demanded it had to be. She knew it had to be.

His hand hurt. He was an idiot to think it would heal in such a short period of time and with him using the trapeze. He had woken up with it bleeding again. He rushed to the bathroom before it stained the bed clothing and without waking neither Layla or their child up. He groaned as he washed the wound up.

"Yuri, are you fine in there?" His wife asked in a sleepy voice. The newborn had also woken up and held one of the strands of her golden hair.

"Yes, you don't need to rise up and you must not, so stay quietly where you are, _Da_?" He spoke Russian. He had not done so in years, except when it was needed.

"Yes sir." She answered bored. "If you want to bring the first aid kit here, I can fix it for you."

"There is no need. I can do it myself." He said, as gently stroke his son's rosy cheek. "I'll bring breakfast up here." He stated.

"But I can go down there, eat and come back here." He glared at her. "I am not afraid of your glaring." Now that was his Layla.

"No." He answered soundly, as he headed himself to the door.

As he went down the stairs, Yuri heard some mumbling downstairs. He could recognize Kenneth's voice. What could he be doing here? He continued going down but something, or even better, someone crushed itself with him. He stared in disbelief. "Annika?" Great. It was bleeding again. Today wasn't his lucky day. But how could she be here? Hadn't their mother...? He was dragged down by the petite Russian to the downer floor.. That was when violet-bluish met pale green.

Suddenly she could once again see the little boy coming close to her, holding the flowers she loved. There was nothing to worry back then. She rose from the sofa. She fondled the child's fair hair. Just like hers, people used to say. She walked to the stairs. He used to bury his small face on her chest. Was he hurt? She approached him slowly. She touched his face. He was real. Of course he was. He was her son.

"Sasha?" She never expected an answer, but it came.

"Скучал по тебе, мама." (Missed you, mum.)

That was when they both broke down.


	19. Epilogue

**Hey! This is finally the end. Thank you guys for all your support and for the patience to read through it all.**

**I know in some point of these you may have wanted to kill me for not revealing it all and making everyone confused... And for my mistakes... My many punctuation mistakes.**

**I guess writing this fic helped me a lot on developing my writing style, what about you guys?**

**Happy New Year, before I forget!**

**So... Thank you all for reading, and here we go to the Epilogue.**

* * *

The airplane was about to take off. The little boy was beyond excited: he would finally meet his friends from that other country... What was its name? He couldn't remember... It was far too long... But was where мать had been born.

He sat between his parents. They were going to a big party. Отец had told him it was a big day to auntie Sora and uncle Leon. He wanted to get there soon. He liked the take off, it felt like flying. Мать and отец would fly with him on that big trapeze when they got there. He loved trapezes.

"Мать, are we there already?" He asked his mother. She smiled to him.

"Not yet my angel. Would you like to change places with me so you can see the clouds? The sky is beautiful today." He shook his head. He saw the sky everyday and, moreover, he did not want to share her with отец.

"Why don't you take a nap? When you wake up, we will be there." His father said while playing solitaire through the in-flight activities network.

"No, sleeping is boring отец." He pouted. "I want to play too!"

"Sure, I'll put it on for you on your monitor." The child blocked the screen with his small hands. "Aaron. I can't do it this way."

"I want to play with you." He pouted, staring at the Russian with his big turquoise eyes.

"OK then. You can help me." He hated to be helped. Solitaire was a game of patience in which a single lack of concentration could spoil everything. At least the last statement had put a smile into his son's face. Yuri never imagined it could be so hard to say no to a child, but those three years of experience had proven that right. Aaron had grown to be a sweet boy, with his pale blond hair and Layla's eyes. He also had inherited one more characteristic from his mother that Yuri wished he hadn't: his strong will and stubbornness. But well, what could be done? Layla would say most of that came from him too, but he wouldn't admit it. Nor he would accept their child already excessive worries concerning family and whatever went far from how he wished it should have been was part of his heritage. He only stopped travelling on his own thoughts when felt something pulling his sleeve non-stop.

"This game is borinnnnnnnnnnnng!" He cried, crossing his arms over his chest. Yuri rolled his eyes and stopped playing.

* * *

After some time of discussion concerning games and how that crazy and stupid snake never went where both her "boys" wanted, they had finally surrendered to the powers of sleep. Yuri's nightmares had stopped after everything had been solved three years ago. His crazy uncle had his rights of having anything to do with the Russian family business denied after what he had done came to public, and everything was given for Yelena to take care, what she does amazingly well. Some people had been gifted with the ability to deal with business, specially her father himself and her husband, she had to admit. Aaron moved in his sleep and grabbed her arm. He was on that phase when boys tend to think their mum is theirs and their father is a rival. Possibly that was why he would always come in between them when they were walking hand in hand, and insist he had nightmares every night. She giggled.

She would finally be back home. They had decided to stay in Russia for a while, many things had to be solved. Moreover, she didn't like the idea of travelling with a baby Aaron. Truth being told, he wasn't so grown now, but enough to obey them (her more often) more easily and not to cry for anything. He moved again. This time his right foot almost reached Yuri's asleep face, which was enough to wake him up.

"Are we there already?" He asked in a sleepy voice.

"You're a bit too old to ask me that, don't you think? On your screen." She answered while looking for the quilt they were given to cover the sleeping boy. When she looked again, the job was already done.

"He is the only one in the world that will ever kick me and I will always love." His cheeks grew rosy.

"It's just a phase... He loves you just as much, and possibly even more than me." Layla stated, placing a kiss on the child's forehead and on Yuri's lips.

"Possibly. 6 hours to go..." He stretched himself. On long trips as such, this was highly recommended. "Rest a bit, I'll be awake for now."

"Can you handle it?" She teased him, and won a death glare in return. "All right... I'll take a nap."

* * *

The pink haired young lady tried her dress. Everything would be perfect, they had been planning it for months. Her parents, Yume and also Manami had arrived the week before to help as well, all her friends were here and both Yuri and Layla managed to come too! What else could she ask for? Leon had invited some other people, but most guests were hers.

"Sora, you look amazing! This dress is just perfect!" Rosetta exclaimed. She was excited as well. Together with May, Anna, Mia, Layla, Sarah, Kate and Manami, she would be a bridesmaid. Yume, who now was four, would carry the wedding rings, and if Aaron was ready enough for that, he would help. Last time they had talked through the internet, he seemed so. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.

"Who's that?" She needn't have bothered to ask: soon the door was opened by a panting Sarah. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong! Everything is nice, but it won't be in a moment if we don't hurry. Remember you wanted to do a surprise arrival party for Layla? Well, Macquarie messaged me to say Yuri called and told her they were heading home. We can set at least thirty minutes, taking into account the traffic jam, until they reach the Hamilton manor. It is all ready there, apart from the fact we are absent. Change yourself into regular clothes right now!"

* * *

"Whoahhhhhh is that отец's red car?" Aaron jumped in surprise as he saw it from afar. He loved cars, and had longed to see that one. Yuri laughed as he lifted the boy and put him onto his shoulders. "Yes, that is my red car, but before we see it, we have to help мать with the luggage, don't you think?" Aaron pouted. "Yush." He got his small backpack from his mother's hand. "I helped, can we go? Please, Please?" He said, while pulling the sleeve of his father's coat.

"OK, OK, we are going!"

Yuri started the engines of the crimson convertible. It had been quite a long time since the last time he had done so. Everything on the way to the Hamilton manor brought a nostalgic feeling to both him and his wife. It could have been a day like any other, when they were leaving the Kaleido Stage or just hanging around as friends they used to be, but the surprised voice on the back seat, in awe as he stared at the city lights, the beach at night... Everything so regular for them was new for him. From far away he saw the huge Kaleido facility. Aaron asked them more than five times in the other ten minutes the took to arrive at their destiny why they couldn't go there that night. The excitement in his sons voice reminded him of himself when a child, watching every single show being made up as Yuri Brass, his father's son. His father. His son. His father in his son. He chuckled at the mere thought of it.

"Here we are." Layla said, and Yuri nodded. Right in front of the mansion, Kevin Hamilton waited for their arrival. "Now that's unusual... Is that your father?" She nodded in surprise.

"!" Aaron ran to the old man's feet as soon as the door of the car was opened by his mother.

"Hey, hey, now who is here? Young boy, you are almost as tall as I am! What happened since we parted last Christmas?" He said as lifted his grandson to his lap. "Hey, will you two take any longer to get here? I understand it was a long way from Moscow to Cape Mary, but the quicker you get in here, the quicker you'll be resting."

"Wait, Layla, that's not right. That guy can't be your father. This is wrong. Very wrong." The Russian said as they approached, laughing. "Long time no see Kevin."

"Hello. You resemble a Siberian Husky with this coat on. Take it off right now." The little boy laughed at his granddad's statement. "Hello shimmering star. Did you get tired of living in an ice cube and returned to our lovely weathered L.A.?" Mr. Hamilton hugged his only daughter, his most precious jewel, after all.

"Very funny father. Moscow is not that bad. By the way, even though you behaved terribly last Christmas, Lana sent you some of that Russian dessert you liked."

"I behaved terribly? Tell that to your husband and his vodka!" He glared at Yuri, who was getting the luggage. "I'll thank her later."

"What happened last Christmas?" The child asked. Luckily he had been already asleep.

"Nothing little angel. Really. Shall we get in?" The blonde said, tiredly.

The surprise was that when they entered the house, everybody was already there awaiting for them. But, for some reason, instead of bringing a huge smile into the lady's face, as all of them wished, it seemed more as if they had just bothered her to the biggest extent of all bothering. "Sora. Is this your doing?"

"Heh... Yes." The pink haired answered, taking steps back as the other woman approached.

"And you know how I hate these surprise parties, don't you?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry... I just thought..."

"Shush. Now. Or, even better...Just give me the biggest hug you can, because I missed you so much!" The Hamilton heiress said grinning and hugging the best friend she had ever had. "Thank you all... But we came to Sora's wedding party, not for having a welcome one of our own!"

"Heh... This was nothing Layla-san! I'm so glad you could come, and Yuri-kun too and... Someone is missing." Sora said as she scanned the room, to find two small hands appearing behind Yuri's legs. "I guess Aaron is not here then... that is a pity, we missed him so much... You know, I bet he is almost as tall as his father right now... I wanted to hug him too... and everybody wanted to see him, since not everyone knows him... but OK then."

"What do you say huh? They want to see you... Shall I tell them you are not here?" Yuri whispered to behind his back.

"Папа..." Aaron's cheeks were rosy. He had wanted so much to meet all those people, but he felt as if he couldn't do it.

"I'll go with you... I'm sure they will like you." His voice tone now became louder. "He is here everybody. We are just undergoing some difficulties... You see, he has never seen so many nice people and sweet girls all together in the same place. Say hi to them." Yuri whispered the last sentence, as he lightly tapped Aaron's back.

"Hi..." He said faintly as ran close to his mother after seeing Jonathan, the seal, coming close, causing the entire room to giggle. Layla then knelt down and called the seal. "He only wants to play, he wont hurt you, see?" She said, rubbing the animal's head. "Do you want to rub his head too?" She asked as realized he seemed eager to do so. Aaron let her hold his hand to show him how to do so. At the first touch he was surprised, but later on he even hugged the little mammal. "He is nice Мама!"

"Isn't he?" She blinked. "Now, why don't you say hi properly to auntie Sora and everybody else?"

"Hi!" The boy shouted excitedly. All the shyness in him now seemed to have disappeared. "Conr... Congratl... Con-gra-tu-la-tions auntie Sora!" He grinned.

"Awnn, thank you Aaron!" She threw him up in the air and caught him back again. "I am glad you came! You will see, tomorrow you will meet Yume and Louise, and you will play a lot with them!"

"I know Yume is Sora's younger sister, but the other one...?" Yuri asked Rosetta, who now was also a main trapeze artist at the Kaleido Circus.

"Sarah and Kalos' daughter. She is just some months younger than Aaron. I bet they'll play a lot in the party tomorrow. Sarah wanted to have come, but they had to stay late at the stage and Louise was angry and tired, but she is sweet. By the way, Kalos wants to speak to you. It's something very serious. You'd better be there first thing in the morning."

"I bet so." The Russian sighed.

The next day flew away as they had lots to do. Layla had to try her dress and all the women would get ready at the Hamilton house. As for the man, they would meet at Leon's place. Yuri had brought his specially tailored tuxedo from Russia, courtesy from his mother, which had it's miniature version for Aaron, who, in his words, wanted to be "just like Отец". Yuri had been to the Stage to talk to Kalos, but he preferred discussing that during the party, he had no idea why. The way Rosetta had told him the night before made it seem as if the world would end.

It turned out he wanted the Russian to take over the direction of Kaleido Star from the next season on. Sarah and him were thinking about spreading the magic throughout the world, and Kalos needed someone trustworthy to leave his "first child" to.

"But, even after everything... I mean, I almost killed it last time."

"You've learned your lesson, haven't you? Trust me, I wouldn't want anyone else to do so. Make me proud... Make your father proud." _Make his father proud. _"What do you say?"

"There would be no bigger honour for me."

* * *

_And so, a new era begins. What the future holds, no one can tell, but we can always have an idea. What I can say is that The Kaleido lights will keep shining as long as I have a fool to guide. The show never ends._

"What are you?" The teenager asked, staring at what seemed to be a pierrot doll mixed with the Phantom of the Opera.

"A friend, Aaron... A friend."


End file.
